


You've Cat to Be Kitten Me Right Meow

by RyanTheFreewoodGuy



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Freewood - Freeform, I accidentally deleted the first one because I'm an idiot, JFC, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:39:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3578166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTheFreewoodGuy/pseuds/RyanTheFreewoodGuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cat started to paw at Ryan's shoulder, using more and more of its claws until the man finally grabbed the feline and tucked it under his arm, shuffling his way toward the bedroom. <br/>"You. Me. Sleep. Now. If I'm going to lose my mind, I'm at least going to get a good night's sleep out of it."<br/>------------------------------------------------------<br/>Ryan finds a peculiar, talkative cat and falls in love with a peculiar, talkative Brit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Better Check Your Cattitude, Mister

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: jesus christ i can't believe i'm such an idiot. i accidentally deleted the whole bloody thing because jesus christ i'm dumb and my fingers are too fat and i can't read and i hate ao3 mobile and i could just keep making more excuses but oh well. there goes all my work :'( luckily i have the chapters backed up jic (thank you, past me, for being smart for one time in your entire bloody life)
> 
> anyways, as always, send me messages and love and encouragement at luchemuffin.tumblr.com

Ryan sighed and washed the rest of the suds off his hands. He raised his freshly rinsed fingers to his neck and kneaded at the nagging ache. After rolling his head a couple times to loosen his tense muscles, he picked up the last pot and inspected it and, upon finding it satisfactorily scrubbed, began carefully drying it. Soft music poured out of the speakers in the next room and he absentmindedly began humming along. He allowed himself to close his eyes and let his mind take off in whatever direction it pleased.

Naturally, his thoughts drifted back to his day at work. They had recorded one or two Let’s Plays that morning leaving the afternoon free for editing and general horseplay. The Gents worked quietly for the most part, except for when Gavin threw a bottle at Geoff and knocked over his entire set up, earning himself a very painful pummelling. Ryan watched with an eyebrow raised in amusement but made no other noise. Once Geoff had decided that Gavin had been sufficiently punished, Gavin slinked back to his desk to face Michael’s incessant giggles and Ray’s constant reminders of how big of a piece of shit he is. Things seemed to settle down for a while after that.

That is until Ryan noticed Michael and Gavin exchanging pointed looks, frantically gesturing around the room, clearly speaking through whatever weird bond Team Nice Dynamite shared. Suddenly, Michael sprang from his chair and rushed full speed at Gavin, fingers wildly reaching to dance along Gavin’s ribcage and send him into his tickle-fuelled squawking. But Michael only got a few good tickles in before Gavin had legged it across the room and jumped onto Ryan’s lap, wrapping all of his flailing limbs around Ryan’s sturdy body.

“Tell him to stop, Rye! Tell him to bloody stuff it!” Gavin gasped, clutching himself even tighter against Ryan’s broad chest. Ryan was completely at a loss for what to do, but due to the general weakness he had for the lad, he quickly let his instincts take over as he carded a broad hand through Gavin’s unruly locks.

“Michael, I’m only going to tell you once. You touch Gav again and you’ll quickly find yourself replacing Edgar.” The Mad King quickly slipped into character, darkness touching his eyes and a smirk finding its rightful place on his lips. Gavin pressed his head against Ryan’s hand when the petting stilled. Ryan felt an unfamiliar bubbling sensation building in his chest but relied on his years of theatrical training to maintain the glare that had Michael taking step after step backwards until the back of his knees touched his chair and he carefully sat down.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Ryan,” Michael swore weakly. Gavin snuggled against Ryan’s hand, a gentle rumbling in his chest. The rest of the office turned back to their work as an awkward hush fell over all six men. Ryan was lost in the soft curve of Gavin’s lips as they turned upward, the delicate flutter of his lashes as his eyes slowly closed in a blissful tranquillity he had scarcely seen cross the lad’s face, and the content noises twisting out of his mouth. They stayed that way for a while until Geoff finally cleared his throat.

“Hey, assholes, are you gonna finish your work or should we leave you two to fuck?”

At that, Gavin flew from Ryan’s lap, miraculously unravelling his limbs from the strange position they’d been in and somehow landing on his feet before instantly tripping over his shoelace on the first step back to his desk. He yelled, stumbling face first into his desk, hitting his nose, unleashing a waterfall of blood. Without missing a beat, he quickly covered his face and sprinted to the bathroom to clean up.

Ryan shook his head and allowed himself to laugh at the memory. He didn’t, however, allow himself to linger too long on the feelings the memory stirred.

A soft _thump_ came from the window behind him. He whipped around to face it, surprised to see a lithe cat batting at the pane. Ryan apprehensively slid the window open, allowing the scruffy brown and tan cat to slide through the narrow gap. Instantly the cat sprung up to man’s shoulders, nuzzling its cold, pink nose into his neck. Ryan’s hand immediately found its way into the cat’s scruffy fur, scratching behind the animal’s twitching ears.

“Hey, buddy. Where’d you come from? I’m sure your owner is looking for you everywhere. You can’t just barge into some unsuspecting man’s house and assume he’ll be a good person!”

The cat raised its head to meet Ryan’s gaze and meowed as if responding to something Ryan just said. “A cat with beautiful hazel eyes,” Ryan gasped. “They’re just as gorgeous as Gavin’s.” He groaned and violently shook his head back and forth to banish that train of thought from his mind. A rough tongue licked two stripes up his cheek, quickly replaced by energetic nuzzling and appreciative purring. It was like this cat understood every word Ryan spoke, and if he was going to be honest, it was really freaking him out.

“Really though, dude. Someone’s gotta be looking for such a pretty kitty.”

 _No one owns me_.

Ryan froze. He met the cat’s gaze again.

“What the fuck. What the fuck. Did you just-? Am I-?” He slid a hand over his face, sinking to the floor. “I’m actually becoming the Mad King. I’m losing my god damn mind.”

_Nah, mate. I think you’re bloody fine. Just let it happen and think about it later. Just take a couple deep breaths. Maybe go back to petting me. That’ll probably help. Yeah, I’m absolutely certain that will help. Trust me._

“I-. Fine.” His fingers curled back into the cat’s fur. His eyes slid closed and he focused on matching his breathing to that of the little ball of fur resting on his shoulders. The constant lack of sleep was quickly catching up to him and he found it harder and harder keep his head up.

_Wait, wait. Don’t fall asleep yet, you git! If you’re gonna sleep already, you better do it on your own bloody bed!_

“… haven’t… been this relaxed… in weeks…” the man mumbled against the satin fur.

 _Up! Up! Stop faffin’ about!_ The cat started to paw at Ryan’s shoulder, using more and more of its claws until the man finally grabbed the feline and tucked it under his arm, shuffling his way toward the bedroom.

“You. Me. Sleep. Now. If I’m going to lose my mind, I’m at least going to get a good night’s sleep out of it.”

And after changing into a worn pair of grey sweatpants and a white undershirt, he collapsed on the bed, allowing the ownerless talking cat to curl up on his chest, relishing in the warm breath dancing across his collar bone before falling into the deepest sleep he had had in the last year.


	2. Are You Fur Real?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan bonds with his feline friend.

For the first time in a long while, Ryan woke up before his alarm. His eyes fluttered open, only to be met by dazzling hazel ones. Brown and tan fur shone as if it were being set afire by the early morning sun flooding through the open drapes. He smiled when the small animal, still seated comfortably on his chest, started purring and rubbing its fuzzy face against his own.

“Hey, little dude. How’d you sleep?” he sleepily slurred.

A timid meow rang from the cat.  _Bloody magnificent! It’s been a while since I got to cuddle with a real human!_

After he sat and ran his fingers through the cat’s unruly mane for almost an hour, slipping in and out of consciousness, Ryan decided to drag himself into the shower but not before laying out some of the leftover fish from last night’s dinner and a small dish of milk.

As the warm rivulets ran down his sore body, he turned the past twenty-four hours over in his mind. He knew that his feelings for Gavin had begun to surface at work as was evident by yesterday’s standoff with Michael. He knew that he had come home alone and made dinner for one, as was his routine. He knew that he had eaten quickly and began to clean up, the tension from the day catching up to him while he scrubbed the dishes. But that’s when things shifted from what he  _knew_  to something a little more abstract. He  _thought_  that he remembered a cat batting at the window to be let in. He  _thought_  that the cat reminded him of the co-worker he was finding himself more and more enthralled with. He  _thought_  that he had actually communicated with the damn thing. He  _thought_  that the cat spent the night, alleviating the near-constant insomnia that had been plaguing him lately. He  _thought_  that maybe, just maybe, he was losing his mind.

He let the water continue to wash over his face while he focused on his breathing. After the shower began to run out of heat, he turned off the stream and started to drag a plush towel across his skin. Once he was adequately dry, Ryan wrapped the towel around his waist and wandered back to the bedroom.

“Did you enjoy your breakfast?” he asked, mumbling into the closet, not bothering to turn his head to clearly enunciate to the feline. But when he turned around, he was met with nothing but an empty bedroom and silence.

“Stupid fucking cat,” Ryan muttered. “Just a damn stray. Of course it would leave once I fed it.”

He felt silly being that torn up about the sudden disappearance of his furry friend. He found himself thinking that this might even hurt more the first and only time he brought a stranger home for the night and woke up to a cold, empty bed in the morning. A strained laugh unexpectedly slipped from his lips and echoed through the silence. Shaking his head, he announced to the empty room that he had indeed lost his god damned mind.

* * *

 

The car ride to the office was uneventful but as soon as he pulled into the parking lot, Ryan knew something was wrong. The air around the studio felt tense, and the second he was within earshot of the Achievement Hunter office, he understood why. Geoff’s voice was cracking more than usual, emotion evident in every broken word.

“Even a phone call would’ve been nice, asshole! Griffon and I waited up all fucking night for you! And then who comes stumbling in at 7 AM and only mumbles something about a shower? You’re such a god damned asshole, Gavin! What if something had happened to you – which I’m still not sure it hasn’t because you  _won’t tell me where the hell you were all night after you left the bar_  – and I didn’t know where you were and I couldn’t’ve helped? Then what, asshole?” The venom slowly drained from Geoff’s words as it was replaced with unadulterated worry. Ryan counted to eleven before an unsteady voice broke the silence.

“I appreciate the concern, Geoff. I really do. But I am not a child and I  _am_  allowed to do my own thing. I  _am_  allowed to shag whoever I bloody well please, and if I don’t come home after going out for some bevs, maybe it’s safe to bloody assume I’m getting some, innit?”

Ryan suddenly felt like someone had just sucker punched him as he found himself simultaneously queasy and gasping for air. He felt his legs start to tremble so he slowly lowered himself to the ground, back pressed firmly against the wall. His mind quickly flashed to the image of Gavin sitting at a bar, thoughtfully sipping a pint, something Ryan had become quite familiar with since befriending the lad. Soon Gavin got up and left, and Ryan’s mind’s eye followed. After a quick mental transition, Gavin was sprawled out on the bed, a furious blush flooding his face, naked chest rising and falling frantically. His pupils were blown wide as his lust-filled gaze locked with Ryan’s, but as a hand reached down to cup Gavin’s face, Ryan realised that it wasn’t his ministrations that had Gavin coming undone. The image zoomed out and suddenly Ryan saw another person looming above Gavin, sucking at his neck, biting softly at his collar bones, eliciting the sweetest, most sinful moans from the Brit.

A cough shook Ryan from his reverie, and he suddenly wasn’t sure if he should be upset or grateful for the disruption. Either way, he knew that he felt dirty and embarrassed, but he set his features into a calm mask and turned to face the source of the noise that brought him crashing back to reality. To his surprise, he saw Ray approaching him. The boy snorted and then collapsed next to Ryan.

“Fuckin’ A, right? I’m not sure if there’ll even be an office left after that fight,” Ray sighed.

“Do you- uh- do you…?” Ryan couldn’t finish his question, thoughts and memories swirling together in a delicious but dangerous mix.

“Woah, dude. English: use it. But yeah, it was just a stupid fight between Geoff and Vav. They’re both fine. Apparently Geoff and Gav went out for a drink last night and Geoff wanted to go home but Gavin said he didn’t want to leave yet and instead just told Geoff to go ahead and go and that he would just catch a cab when he was finally ready. Geoff must’ve been seriously wasted because he actually agreed… Only… Gav didn’t show up until this morning and he’s refusing to tell anyone where he was…” Ray sighed. He shook his head and got up, offering a hand to Ryan who was still processing the information. He cleared his throat to get the older man’s attention. Ryan accepted the outstretched hand and pulled himself to his feet, sheepishly apologising for his obvious mental absence.

“No problem, man. I’m always here to talk if you need or whatever. R&R connection and all that, right?”

“Right!” Ryan chuckled, patting Ray’s shoulder before turning and heading off towards the bathroom.

Once he reached the bathroom, he splashed water on his face and took several shaky breaths. The quivering of his stomach had stilled and his breathing had returned to normal. But imagining Gavin so needy and welcoming on the bed, imaging those delectable noises ringing in his ears, imagining hands running through the soft but plentiful hair on Gavin’s chest… it all left him buzzing, a pleasant but incessant sensation tugging gently at his mind. Ryan did his best to push all those feelings and thoughts as far back into his mind as he could and quickly found his way back to the AH office.

Most of the other men had shown up by the time Ryan got back, but Ryan noticed that a certain British twink happened to be missing. He turned to ask the room but noticed Geoff’s dark, smouldering expression and quickly decided against it. He met Michael’s gaze and motioned his head towards Gavin’s empty desk, one eyebrow curiously raised. Michael also glanced at Gavin’s desk and then simply shrugged and mouthed ‘sorry’ before turning back to the editing he was doing.

The air was so thick with tension that Ryan thought it was going to crush them all. Once lunchtime finally rolled around, Geoff was the first to leave, but not before violently putting things away and slamming the door. With Geoff gone, the other four men visibly relaxed.

Michael was the first to break the spell. “X-Ray, do you wanna go grab lunch?” the curly-haired man asked his friend.

“Uh, yeah, sure. As long as you’re paying!”

And with that, the two lads were scampering out the door and out to Michael’s car. Jack laughed and turned toward Ryan.

“What do you say, man? We could go grab something for lunch, too,” Jack gently chuckled.

“Nah. Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to take advantage of being alone and actually get some work done. Couldn’t fuckin’ work with Geoff being… well… whatever he was this morning.”

Jack’s laugh was light but full of understanding. “Okay, Haywood, but let me know if you need anything.”

And with that, Ryan was finally alone again. The earlier tension of the day had taken a lot out of him and despite actually getting a good night’s sleep, he suddenly felt exhausted. He rolled his shoulders and brought his callused fingers up to dig at the tense muscles. He was finally starting to relax when he heard a soft knocking coming from the door.

Sighing, he went to go talk to whoever was at the door. Everyone had probably heard about what went down this morning and would no doubt be terrified to approach the office. When Ryan swung the door open, however, no one was out in the hallway. He was obviously confused but settled for shaking his head and murmuring something about how childish some of the pranks people around this office played were. But when he turned around and went to take a step back to his desk, his ankle caught on something and he was sent crashing to the ground.

Groaning loudly, he stared at the ceiling for a while, gathering the strength to lift himself off the floor. But before he was able to even sit up, a small, graceful creature gently pounced onto his chest. Ryan began smiling at the inquisitive hazel eyes, fingers immediately finding the cat’s sensitive spot behind its ears before suddenly remembering the pain he felt at returning to an empty bedroom.

“You left me,” Ryan finally managed, wincing at how pathetic he sounded.

_I didn’t realise you expected me to stay, you mong. Besides, I had some business to take care of._

“You’re a god damned cat! What type of business could you possibly have?! You left me like some dirty one-night stand!” Ryan clamped a hand over his mouth. “Ugh, sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to leave so soon, I guess. But like you said, you’re ownerless, so I guess staying in one place isn’t necessarily your scene, is it?”

_Eh, it’s alright. Never found anyone I was interested in enough to stay with. Gotta admit, though. You’re the first one to be able to understand me, so that’s bloody top._

Ryan cocked an eyebrow at that. He had obviously noticed the cat’s weird vocabulary before, absentmindedly adding it to the list of things that reminded him of Gavin before quickly locking that one away for another day, but this was getting ridiculous.

“Bloody top?” he teased.

_I said I was ownerless, not that I’ve never had an owner, you mong. My first owner was from Britain, found me in Oxfordshire under a bridge. I guess I just learned all these funny words from him. Either way, I’m hungry, bored, and in need of some serious snuggling, and I think you may be able to help me with all of those problems._

Ryan found himself once again shaking his head before relocating the cat from his chest to the floor. Once he was satisfied that the cat wouldn’t try ambushing him again, he grabbed the corner of Geoff’s desk and pulled himself up. Once the man was standing, the cat gracefully – seriously, how did the cat move that smoothly? – jumped onto Geoff’s chair, onto the desk, and then, much to Ryan’s surprise, onto the man’s shoulders. The soft lump of fur sighed contently and nuzzled its nose against Ryan’s neck, purring once it could feel the steady thrum of Ryan’s heartbeat.

Smirking – no, that was definitely a full-fledged smile – Ryan found his way to the kitchen. He quickly discovered that the office didn’t have any milk for the cat but did have some cream that was usually saved for the coffee. After digging through the cupboards near the fridge, he found an old can of tuna and heard the cat meow sweetly in anticipation. After a moment’s pause, he went back to the fridge and pulled out his own lunch, thankful that Burnie hadn’t had a chance to attack his precious sandwich.

Once back in the AH office, Ryan carefully placed his spoils onto his desk and sat down in his chair. The cat’s purring had been working to relax him, essentially simulating the effects of white noise, and he gently threaded his fingers through the soft fur tickling his neck. With his free hand he opened the cream and poured a little into one of the bowls he found and then skilfully opened the pop-top of the tuna and dumped that into the second bowl. Using a fork, he stirred it up some so it looked more palatable.

“Bon apetit, my furry little prince,” Ryan softly cooed. The cat leapt from Ryan’s shoulder to the desk with incredible poise and meowed graciously.

 _Thank you, my king._  The cat bowed his little head in mock servitude.

“Hey, keep that up and you’ll find yourself without a sturdy pair of shoulders to ride around on,” Ryan chided. The cat simply meowed again and turned towards the dishes on the corner of Ryan’s desk. Another stupid smile found its way to Ryan’s lips and he let the cat eat in peace while he picked up his own lunch and began to munch on it thoughtfully.

Once the cat was done, it stared at the wall of fan mail for a while before resuming any communication with the man.

_I take it you’re the one and only Ryan Haywood?_

Ryan choked on the bite of sandwich he had just taken and then roughly swallowed it. “Uh, yeah. That’s me. Ryan Haywood. You can read?”

_Of course I can bloody well read. What do you take me for, you sausage?_

“Sorry, I just didn’t realise animals could read is all…”

_I can understand the words you say and I can respond. Why wouldn’t I be able to read?_

“I, uh. I hadn’t thought about it, I guess. Again, sorry.”

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was strange to be with the cat without constant conversation. Seeing that Ryan still had at least half his sandwich left, the cat jumped to Ray’s desk to begin exploring the office. A couple minutes later, though, the cat seemed to have seen everything it wanted to see and allowed its lithe body to once again wrap around Ryan’s shoulders.

“What do you want me to call you? You know my name. It’s only fair I know yours.”

_You can call me V._

“V? Like that guy from V for Vendetta? You hardly look like you’re going to blow up parliament any time soon, dude.”

_It’s not my full name, but it’s what I’m most comfortable being called._

“Nah, I get it. My name’s James but I don’t like to be called that. V it is.”

They continued their idle conversation, Ryan speaking out loud and laughing, V smoothly replying and asking ridiculous questions. Ryan had just opened up his editing programs again, thankful that however he was communicating with V didn’t require his ears, when Michael and Ray walked back in.

“Kitty!!” Ray exclaimed, immediately sprinting over to Ryan to examine the (startled) animal draped around his shoulders. “Ryan!! When did you get a kitty???”

Michael just cackled in amusement while Ray began furiously stroking the cat, bombarding Ryan with question after question and forgetting to leave enough time after each for the Gent to properly respond.

“Ray, shut up and let the guy speak, wouldja?” Michael finally interjected, pulling Ray by the arm back to his desk.

“Oh, sorry, Ryan. I just… I really like cats. Where’d this little guy come from? What’s his name? How long have you-?” Ray stopped abruptly after receiving a scolding glare from both men. “Sorry, I didn’t realise it was  _Be Really Fuckin’ Rude to Excited People_ Day,” he muttered under his breath.

“Ray, Michael, meet V,” Ryan started, gently gesturing to the purring cat curled around his neck. “He’s been following me around for the past day. He’s super sweet and funny. He even helped me sleep through an entire night for once.”

The two lads glanced at each other before shrugging. “So is this fucker going to be around the office a lot?” Michael asked, gesturing to V who was lazily licking at a soft spot under Ryan’s jaw.

“I hope so. He’s really good company. But it all depends on if he wants to stay around and if Geoff will even let me have a pet in here. I mean, Joe is allowed in the office from time to time, but Geoff doesn’t really get to have a say in that, so…” Ryan’s voice petered out as his fingers almost instinctively found V’s sensitive spot, causing the cat to erupt in even more pleased purring.

“Don’t see why he wouldn’t. V seems well enough behaved,” Michael reasoned before once again shrugging and turning back to his work. Ray carded his fingers through V’s soft mane a couple times before also turning back to his work and slipping on his headphones.

_I do want to, you know._

Ryan glanced at the boys working quietly behind him, hoping they’d both be wearing headphones and working on something with excessive volume levels but Michael was only sporting his beanie and Ray was typing a witty response on Twitter and didn’t seem to have any sort of audio going on his computer. So instead, Ryan opened Word on his computer, made the font a little more readable, and typed his response, tapping the monitor twice to attract V’s attention once he was done.

**Can’t talk out loud so this will just have to work. But… you want to what?**

_I want to stay, you twit. I mean, I don’t necessarily know how I feel about the whole owner thing, but I do enjoy your company. You’re very lovely to talk to, Rye Bread_.

**Rye bread?? Really?**

_Yes,_  V meowed softly before resuming his purring.  _My Rye Bread, my Mad King, my lovely Ryan._

Ryan smiled and minimized the document so he could focus on his work but kept it open on his taskbar in case his new friend wanted to continue their conversation. He pressed his lips gently against the impossible softness of V’s fur before losing himself somewhere between the calming vibrations against his neck and the familiar motions of editing footage.

Geoff had returned a couple minutes after Jack and was in a surprisingly more manageable mood which Ryan figured he could probably attribute to the very slight scent of whiskey that clung to his clothes that he was certain wasn’t there this morning. Ryan shrugged and figured he didn’t mind since it not only made things less tense in the office, but it also made Geoff more agreeable when faced with the cat dilemma.

Sometime around five, V extracted himself from Ryan’s idle petting and curved his body into a drastic stretch.

“Where are you going?” Ryan inquired before realising that he was surrounded by four men who already had their suspicions about his sanity.

“Ryan’s talking to a fucking cat. I knew he had some weird thing with animals!” Michael snickered.

“Ryan the Animal Whisperer Guy!” Ray supplied.

“Oh, shut up,” muttered Ryan, cursing himself for giving the guys this ammo. “People talk to their pets all the time.”

“Yeah, but they don’t name them all Edgar and shove them into a god damned hole!” Geoff howled.

“To be fair, his name is V and he is very clearly not in a hole,” Ryan reasoned. The guys, however, were no longer listening, too far gone in their guffawing, so Ryan simply got up and went to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, wondering just where he had gone wrong in his life to end up talking to a fucking  _cat_. He splashed water on his face, reminiscent of this morning. He immediately blushed once he remembered what caused him to get worked up earlier, the previous images of a sex-crazed Gavin flashing in front of his eyes. He pulled his mind out of that line of thinking and instead let his mind wander down a less… risqué path.

Gavin hadn’t been in the office all day, probably to give Geoff space and time to cool off. Ryan guessed he really shouldn’t have been so surprised to realise just how much he missed the Lad’s presence. He really wanted Gavin to meet V, to see how the two would interact, to be able to directly compare the similarities he was constantly picking up on.

Ryan sighed and felt the day’s events start to weigh on him. Despite the full night of sleep he got, he was still utterly exhausted from this latest bout of insomnia. He idly wondered if making a habit of sleeping with V would continue to soothe his sleep issues.

He found himself craving to see the little fuzzball again, despite only being gone for about five minutes. The cat’s affection was absolutely addicting, and Ryan had never felt as at peace as he did with V perched upon his shoulders.

When he returned to the AH office, though, memories of the moments immediately following this morning’s shower came flooding back. The four men were still there, all starting to save their projects and pack up their belongings, but a certain  _prince_  was missing. Ryan walked slowly to his desk and sat down, the familiar feelings of abandonment seeping throughout his entire being. Ray must’ve noticed the slight sag of Ryan’s shoulders because within a couple seconds he was facing Ryan.

“V snuck out the door a couple minutes after you. We thought he was coming to find you. I’m sure he’ll show up again, though, Ry!”

“Thanks, Ray. I’ll keep an eye out for him just in case he comes back.”

Ray just hummed in return, finishing zipping up his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He stiffened and then immediately relaxed when he noticed someone walk through the door.

“Vav! You’re okay!” Ray exclaimed, throwing his body wait against the slender Brit standing in the doorway.

“Of course I am, you mong! I’ve been working on various projects all day. I’ve just been super busy, X-Ray! I am bloody sorry I couldn’t find time to visit my favourite sidekick, though.”

“Fuck you, you’re totally the sidekick, Vav!” Ray snorted back. “Anyways, Tina promised me a shitty feast of shitty fast food, so I’m gonna split. I’m glad you’re back, Gavino.” He pulled Gavin into a side-hug and then waved to the rest of the crew. “Night, guys!”

“Get your ass over here, Gavvers, before I kick your dick in,” Michael demanded. Gavin sheepishly glided across the office only to trip on the last few steps before he reached his boi, sending them both flying backwards into Michael’s desk.

“God fucking damn it, Gavin! How in the world are you this fucking clumsy? A god damned one-legged horse could function more elegantly than you!” Michael ranted.

“Michael!” squeaked Gavin, quickly hiding his face. “I’m sorry, boi. I just got a little ahead of myself, you know?” He stood up and brushed himself off, carefully presenting a hand to help Michael up. The quick-tempered one brushed off the Brit’s offer and pulled himself up on his own. Startled hurt danced across Gavin’s tired eyes, causing Michael to soften.

“If I had accepted your help, we would’ve just ended up on the floor again, boi,” he explained, reaching forward to ruffle Gavin’s outrageous locks. “Anyways, Lindsay won’t stop texting me to hurry up so I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Gavin. Bye, guys!” And with that, Michael gathered his belongings and bounded out of the office.

Jack followed suit later, leaving Ryan alone with Geoff and Gavin. Things were definitely still tense, but at least they were no longer exchanging verbal blows. They conversed stiffly and Ryan grew too uncomfortable from watching his co-workers fight like this, so he packed up his things and began to leave. He offered a gentle goodbye to the remaining two men and pushed the door open to make his way out to the car.

* * *

 

After he finished dinner and had put away all the dishes, Ryan settled down on the couch and flicked on the television. He tried not to think about the empty feeling in his chest, about the missing warmth around his shoulders, about the fact that he left the window by his sink open, just in case. He sank deeper into the leather and tried to focus on the trite sitcom flickering in front of him. As his eyes began to grow heavy, he pulled his knees up to his chest so he could rest his chin on top of them. He must’ve started to doze off because he found himself jolting awake when he felt a warm, familiar pressure on his shoulders. Yet another embarrassing smile found itself playing at Ryan’s soft lips and he allowed himself to press them against the cat’s head in a gentle kiss.

“I thought you’d left again, V.”

 _I told you that I intended to stay, Ry_.

“I know. I just-. Why do you always run off? You left before I could introduce you to Gavin. I know I’ve already told you this, but I really do think you would like him, V. He’s really great, outrageously funny, absolutely brilliant when he wants to be. Oh god, I sound like a lovesick 13-year-old. I need to stop. Pretend that didn’t happen.”

V just rolled his paws into Ryan’s sore muscles and meowed. Ryan sighed at the feeling of his tense shoulders being stretched by something other than his own rough hands and practically moaned when the cat found a tender spot.

_Ah, I see I’ve found where the problem is. Thank goodness we felines are so good at kneading. I’ll have this worked out in a jiffy, Ry._

And he did. It took him about ten minutes, but afterward Ryan felt more relaxed than he had in weeks, the familiar pain disappearing under the cat’s careful paws.

“I’m gonna pretend that that wasn’t super weird. I’ve never known a cat who could act as a personal masseur before,” Ryan hummed, relief laced through his soft words. He met V’s gaze and let the corner of his mouth drift upward. “Thanks, bud.”

 _Anything to serve my king_ , V replied with a wink.

A wink. A fucking wink. A god damned cat just fucking winked. Ryan was absolutely 100% sure that he had lost his mind, but at that moment, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He simple leaned forward, placed another kiss against V’s forehead, and let his fingers drift to what he now knew was V’s favourite spot to be rubbed.

The purring started instantly and V settled back down around Ryan’s shoulders, eyelids drooping despite the cat’s obvious attempts to stay awake. In a few minutes, the purring quieted but somehow didn’t stop, and the intensity was replaced by slow, even breaths that danced along Ryan’s neck. Ryan found himself feeling peaceful, maybe even content. He hadn’t been this happy in a while, the stresses of work and ignoring his blooming affections towards Gavin having been weighing constantly on his mind.

He allowed himself to sit with the cat until midnight, taking in the softness of V’s fur, the gentleness of V’s purring, the gracefulness that followed V everywhere, even into sleep, and last but not least, the warmth around his shoulders that seemed to pump through his veins and race full-speed back to his heart.

With a quiet exhale, Ryan reached across the couch to grab the remote he had carelessly tossed aside. Clicking off the television, he cautiously stood, being careful not to wake the sleeping beast draped around him like a loose scarf. Luckily he had only worn a t-shirt which was definitely soft enough to sleep in, so he stepped out of his jeans and slipped into bed. He delicately unwrapped the cat from his shoulders and placed him on his chest. V fortunately didn’t wake up when he was relocated and instead seemingly instinctually knew how to curl against Ryan’s chest, nuzzling against the point on Ryan’s neck where his pulse was the strongest.

Ryan wrapped his arms around V in a protective and loving way, mentally noting how easy this was before he slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same. Ryan would wake up, feed V, shower, come back to an empty room, go to work, find V around lunchtime, have V mysteriously disappear before the end of the day, go home, eat dinner, clean up, feel V curl up on his shoulders, drag them both to bed. Rinse, wash, repeat. He had really enjoyed getting to know the little cat better, and he often forgot that V wasn’t actually a human, no matter how often he reminded him of one.

Gavin had returned to his desk on Wednesday, the day after he and Geoff had their fight. The men all recorded a couple Let’s Plays, and the room was still a little tense, but overall they got enough decent footage to last them a couple videos. Ryan suddenly realised how relieved he was to have Gavin back in the office. He noticed that Michael and Ray were more relaxed as well, happy that the third member of the Lads had safely returned.

When lunch rolled around, Lindsay came in to grab Michael for lunch, Ray left to go grab something from his apartment, and Geoff and Jack went to some restaurant they had both been wanting to try. Ryan retreated to the kitchen to snatch his lunch from the fridge and quickly returned to his desk in case V decided to stop by again. Gavin stood up and stretched, walking over to sit on the edge of Ryan’s desk, waiting until the older man looked up at him.

“Word around the office is that you found yourself a new pet, Rye,” Gavin chuckled. “Always knew you had that bloody animal thing.”

“Well, to be fair, V actually found me. Not that I don’t adore the little fucker. Just, he came in through my window on Monday and we bonded almost immediately. It’s like he chose me, though I have no idea why.”

“Probably because you’re you, Ryan. I know I would want to be your pet if I were a cat! Though I’d make a bloody awful cat, let’s be honest. Cats are always supposed to land on their feet, yeah? I trip over everything and end up landing on my nose. I wouldn’t last a day!” Gavin huffed and pushed away from the desk, crossing back over to his own and pulling a small box out of his backpack and tossing it into Ryan’s lap. “Anyways, I heard that you had found yourself a little friend and the Lads said he didn’t have a collar, so I got him this. If he’s gonna be around here a lot, I figured he would want to have something to officially make him one of us. But enough faffin’ about. I finished all my work here so I’m gonna go around and see if anyone else in the building needs help. I’ll see you around, Ryan.”

With a small wave, Gavin disappeared into the hallway.

Ryan’s fingers wrapped around the edges of the box, playing with the cool cardboard. Confused but glad to have had any kind of interaction with Gavin, he carefully removed the lid. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he saw what lay inside. A small, thin collar with the pattern of a creeper was centred in the box. Hanging from the silver loop at the front was a small bell and an Achievement Hunter medallion, the nice silver ones Ryan noticed they were selling in the RT shop online. He ran his finger along the cloth, suddenly wondering if V would even want to wear it after being ownerless for so long.  **Is this like the pet equivalent of proposing?**  Ryan idly pondered but laughed when he realised how ridiculous the thought was. It was just a woven collar. The worst thing that could happen is that V would say that he didn’t want to wear it and then Ryan could just put it away and not worry about it again.

As if he knew he was being thought about, V crept into the office unnoticed by Ryan.

_Whatchya got there, Rye Bread?_

Ryan flinched when he realised who was speaking to him, but relaxed when he remembered how much he’d missed the little cat. V gracefully – since apparently that was the only word to describe the way the cat moved – jumped onto his desk to inspect what Ryan was holding. Ryan took a deep breath and tried to ignore the strange nervous feeling bubbling in his stomach. It was a god damned collar, after all, not a fucking wedding ring.

“Uh, Gavin gave me a collar. Well, he gave me a collar to give to you. If you want it, I mean. You don’t have to wear it since I know you don’t want an owner so of course I don’t want to push you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with because that’s the last thing I want and I don’t know if I could live with myself if I ever made you uncomfor- Ow!“ Ryan was cut off by a swift paw to his face.

_Shut up, you silly sausage! Of course I would love to wear it. I’ve never had a real collar before!_

“But you said you had an old owner…”

 _Yeah, but he wasn’t the most… kind? I didn’t mind. I spent most of my time outside, so I was essentially ownerless anyways. But that doesn’t matter now, does it, because now I have my lovely Ryan._  His eyes locked onto the man’s and saw the softness he had a feeling that very few people got a chance to experience.  _Well, come on then, let’s try this bloody thing on!_  V meowed loudly and rubbed his head against Ryan’s hand, urging him to start moving again.

Ryan allowed himself to laugh, a light tittering spilling over his tongue and past his lips. He brought the collar up to V’s neck and threaded one end through the buckle, securing it loosely. “Perfect,” he sighed, running his fingers through the cat’s wild fur. “You look perfect.”

_One might even say I look… ‘purrfect.’_

Ryan groaned but smiled. “I didn’t realise a cat could tell even worse puns than Barb. That’s impressive, V.”

V seemed to smirk and then jumped up to his rightful place on Ryan’s shoulders, the little bell tinkling lightly from his nimble movements. Ryan felt himself relax as the pair slipped into a witty back-and-forth about anything and everything. He tried to keep his eye on the door, determined not to let any of the guys see him talking to the cat again, but he soon became too distracted by both his work and the playful conversation he and V were engaged in. He didn’t notice when Jack and Geoff walked back into the office just as he was describing the video editing process to V.

“Oh my god, how fucking adorable,” Geoff hooted. “Ryan’s explaining his work to a fucking cat! God damn, Haywood, you seriously need to find a girlfriend.” He paused when he saw Ryan stiffen. “Or boyfriend. The fuck do I care, dude? You’ve just been alone too long, man.” He sat down at his desk with a heavy thud, quickly immersing himself in whatever project he had been working on before lunch.

“Glad someone was at least able to keep you company,” Jack cheerfully supplied before following Geoff’s example and reopening the files he needed for his current task.

_They think it’s endearing. They don’t care, Ry._

Ryan, not quite ready to continue the teasing, pulled up the Word document again.

**I know, I know. It’s just not exactly enjoyable.**

_Are you really gay, then?_

Ryan jumped a little in his chair and inhaled sharply. The other two men glanced over with questioning looks. “Sorry, the audio peaked. Just spooked me a little is all.” They seemed satisfied with that answer and returned to their work.

**Why the fuck does it matter?**

_I’m just wondering, Ry. Gotta know everything I can about you if we’re gonna spend this much time together. Plus, I wanna have a little warning before you stumble home with some right prick for a shag._

Ryan turned a dark shade of red and minimized the document angrily in an attempt to mask his discomfort.

_I don’t mind, you know. If you are gay, I mean. I think that if I were a human I would be. Maybe I wouldn’t be open about it since it’s kinda dangerous or whatever, but I would definitely be into nobs._

Sighing, Ryan hesitantly maximised the document again.

**Fine, yes, I’ve been with both guys and girls before, but I don’t like to put a label on it. Never thought I needed one. Are we done discussing my sexual preferences now?**

V seemed pleased and began purring, nestling his head into the crook of Ryan’s neck like usual.

Michael and Ray returned to the office shortly after, and Geoff told Ryan and Jack to record a Let’s Play with the two Lads. They played some shitty first-person shooter that had them all in hysterics by the end of it because every time Ryan killed someone, V would meow loudly into the microphone in celebration. Apparently the guys thought this was both disgustingly adorable and outrageously hilarious, and Ryan felt oddly proud of his furry little friend. He found himself wishing that Gavin was there, though, because he knew that the boy would absolutely love this.

At the end of the match, Ryan’s score was higher than the other three combined, much to Ray’s chagrin. Lindsay had heard the roaring laughter earlier and decided to peek in with a camera to record some behind-the-scenes antics, so she was luckily already filming when the final scores popped up and Ryan jumped out of his seat and held the cat up by his armpits, chanting, “We did it, V! We did it! We’re unstoppable!” while the cat just returned a chorus of passionate meows. Ryan kissed the excited cat on the nose and then carefully placed him back on his shoulders. The other guys started up on another round of uncontrollable giggles while Ryan simply beamed at Lindsay’s camera, telling her to get a close-up of V whom he had deemed to be the true MVP of the match.

They wrapped up the video and stopped their recordings, each taking special care to save their footage and audio, knowing that this would probably be one of their most watched Let’s Plays.

Ryan kissed the purring monster on his shoulder before putting him down on the couch, whispering a quiet goodbye and receiving a silent confirmation that he would see the little cat at home tonight before turning around and heading to the kitchen to grab a Coke, knowing that the cat would be gone by the time he returned to the office.

That’s how it went for the next two weeks. The days seemed to blend together as Ryan settled into his schedule. V was spending more and more time at Ryan’s place, coming earlier and earlier in the night. Ryan heard hushed arguments between Geoff and Gavin at the office but decided he probably shouldn’t get involved so he did his best to pretend he didn’t hear them. Instead, he poured himself into his work and into caring for his cat, and he soon found that he wanted little else.

 

 


	3. Cat Got Your Tongue?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you feel the love tonight? Ryan definitely can.

After a couple weeks, Ryan found himself happier and better rested than he had been in years, and he knew he owed it all to one brown and tan Maine Coon with shimmering hazel eyes that never seemed to look at one place for long unless they were locked onto his own.

The two were pretty much inseparable when the cat decided to show up. Sure, there were days that V wouldn’t show up at lunch and the other men could tell by Ryan’s sagging shoulders and empty threats that the feline’s absence weighed heavily on him. They didn’t quite understand the man’s attachment to the scruffy stray, but they did understand that the two did in fact share some weird, inexplicable bond. They went out of their way to cheer Ryan up on those days, switching to PC-based games or letting him lead whatever ridiculous GTA Let’s Play they had planned.

But no matter how low he got, no matter how thoroughly he had convinced himself that his furry partner was gone for good this time, V crawled in through the window of Ryan’s house shortly after he returned from work, bell tinkling gently in the evening air. The man would simultaneously perk up and relax, both excited that his friend was back and relieved that this wasn’t the end of their companionship. V would apologise but ultimately tease Ryan about his unfounded worries, covering the man in sandpapery kisses that may not been the most enjoyable tactile sensation he’d ever felt but were definitely the quickest way to convey the sentiments V knew he couldn’t properly express.

They ate together, slept together, and sometimes even bathed together (well, to the best of their ability – V hated water, so instead he sat perched on Ryan’s sink and bathed himself with his tongue while Ryan showered). Ryan would eat breakfast with the cat, pouring some cat food (which he’d bought after he realised that the cat couldn’t really survive purely on milk) into a small bowl and placing it on the table next to his own meal. The two would part ways before work, knowing they would see each other again in just a few hours.

It was simple and steady and so god damn _domestic_ but Ryan wouldn’t’ve traded it for the world. He showered the cat with affection, kissing every inch of fur the petit beast offered. In return, V would keep Ryan calm and happy, never failing to supply Ryan with strange back massages and witty commentary to keep that bright smile on the man’s face. More often than he would like to admit, Ryan found himself wondering about what it would be like if V were human, if the admiration he felt would blossom into something more like romantic love. He hated the insinuation of bestiality and obviously never even considered anything physical with the tiny cat (seriously, that’s fucking disgusting), but some nights when that desperate heat settled low in his stomach, he liked to imagine the cat as a human, scruffy blond and tan hair sticking up in the familiar angles, playful hazel eyes wide with passion.

But the more he imagined the humanised cat, the more he ended up thinking of Gavin. The images his mind had conjured up several weeks ago would resurface and suddenly Ryan craved nothing more than to hear those sinful moans pouring out of the Brit’s mouth and to be the one to have provoked them. He wondered if the tuft of hair on Gavin’s chest would be as silky as V’s coat or if he would have a similarly sensitive spot at the point behind his ear that sent V into helpless, adoring purring.

Ultimately these thoughts proved to be too much for Ryan to deal with so he locked them away somewhere deep inside his head. He distracted himself with work, picking up odd jobs around the office to keep his racing mind at bay. He started staying later and later, often coming home to a small cat who looked like he was on the verge of tears if he had been able to cry. Ryan would deftly scoop up the distressed animal, quickly beginning his deluge of kisses and apologies, terrified that he might’ve hurt V’s feelings enough that he wouldn’t return the next night. But he always returned, just like clockwork, and he always greedily accepted the man’s expressions of remorse.

Things at the office were great, too. The guys all seemed more comfortable, their banter coming more easily than usual. Ryan found himself growing closer and closer to Gavin as well, eventually shooting several Team Love and Stuff videos to satisfy several boisterous fans. And if he was being honest, those were some of his favourite videos so far. Talking with Gavin just seemed natural, their conversations mirroring the ones he shared with V. That’s probably why he clicked with both of them so immediately.

Still, he had to admit that he was completely caught off-guard when Gavin asked him out to lunch one day. Ryan knew that V wouldn’t be visiting the office, but the idea that the little cat might come looking for him and be unable to find him made Ryan hesitate a little.

“Look, mate. You don’t have to. I just thought that since we don’t really hang out much, we could grab a quick bite to eat. But if you’re uncomfortable or whatever, it’s alright. I just thought we were both enjoying recording today and that it might be right fun to hang out more…?” Gavin let his voice trail off, obviously trying to hide his disappointment.

Ryan laughed and lay a warm hand on Gavin’s knee. “Relax, Gav. Of course I’ll go get lunch with you. I know of this little pizzeria down the street. My treat.”

Watching the way Gavin’s face burst into utter joy was worth abandoning whatever hesitations he may have had before. Ryan felt the familiar fluttering of his heart as he observed the way the noon sun made Gavin’s eyes shimmer and the way hurried, clumsy words (some of which Ryan was absolutely positive were made up) fell freely from soft lips, bending and curling as the familiar accent dictated.

“As I was saying… Rye? Ryan? Are you in there, you mong?” Gavin suddenly stopped his incessant babbling to wave a hand in front of the Gent’s face.

“Hm? Yeah, I was just waiting for you to finish saying every word in the English language before we could finally leave,” the older man playfully growled, earning himself a trademark ‘Gavin noise’. Ryan chuckled and quickly gathered his wallet and keys before messily scrawling a note to his feline friend on a scrap of paper. When he finished, he tucked the note under his keyboard to make it seem a little more inconspicuous. Gavin raised his eyebrows in curious interest but said no more on the subject which Ryan was incredibly thankful for.

Lunch went extremely well. The two men talked about nearly everything that passed through their minds, wildly jumping from topic to topic but somehow still keeping everything connected. The muscles of Ryan’s cheeks ached from smiling so much and he knew his abs would probably be sore from how hard they had been laughing. Eventually Ryan thought to actually check his phone only to be met by four missed calls and eleven new texts. He glanced across the table to see Gavin glaring at his notifications, too, so at least he knew the pestering hadn’t only been aimed at him.

“Bollocking bollocks,” Gavin sighed. Ryan nodded. “I hadn’t realised so much time had passed. The guys are gonna use this for bloody weeks. They’ll never let us live this down.”

“I mean, they technically don’t know that we’re out together. If you don’t want them to know, we don’t have to tell them. You can say that you came back early and started helping someone out like you have been for the past few weeks and I’ll just say I went home to take and nap and overslept.” There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Ryan’s stomach accompanied by a sudden reminder that it was entirely possible that Gavin was only being nice out of some twisted form of pity and didn’t actually want to be associated with Ryan at all.

“Bloody hell, Rye. Of course I don’t care if we’re seen together. Team Love and Stuff, right? We gotta stick together!”

“I’m sensing that there’s an unspoken ‘ _but’_ implied there,” Ryan prompted, unsure if he really wanted to hear the response.

Gavin thoughtfully nodded. “But I don’t want them to tease you like they tease me, Rye. I can take it. I’m the bloody British twink Burnie imported from across the pond. You’re the lovely Ryan, tech master extraordinaire and occasional psychopath. Everyone views our friendship as some sort of cosmic joke. And I don’t want to have to put you through that.”

“Do you?”

“Do I bloody what, Ryan?” Gavin snapped, emotions accentuating his already skittish demeanour.

“Do you view our friendship as some sort of cosmic joke?” Ryan asked, uncertainty dripping from his rich voice. The words were spoken slowly, carefully, as if he had to place them delicately in front of Gavin so as to not scare him away.

Gavin was silent for a moment. The din of the pizzeria swirled around them but Ryan could only hear the thrumming of his heart against his eardrums. The younger man finally sighed. “No, I don’t. I quite enjoy your company. I haven’t had this much fun in ages, barring all this shite.” He glanced down cautiously at his phone but didn’t make a move to actually return any of the messages.

“I’ve had a lot of fun, too, Gav. I promise we’ll do it again soon, okay? But for now, we really should head back to the office before we find out we don’t work there anymore,” teased Ryan in an attempt to make the Lad smile again.

“Yeah, okay, Rye. I’d like that.” A small, almost imperceptible grin tugged at the corner of his mouth and Ryan had to make a conscious effort not to stare again.

They took their time getting back to Rooster Teeth, continuing whatever stupid debate they were having before Ryan had checked his phone. He was surprised how easily they fell back into the pattern and how much he was craving to kiss those rapidly moving lips and stop the unceasing flow of nonsense that he was managing to string together.

“No, Ryan, that doesn’t make any bloody sense! Look, you have three coins, right? And you flip the first coin and you get-mmmmm!” Whatever stupid logical fallacy that was poised to come out of Gavin’s mouth next instantly disappeared when Ryan grabbed Gavin by the shoulder, pushed him into a wall in a small alley, and crushed his lips against the smaller man’s.

Gavin immediately went still and Ryan realised how stupid this was, how big of a mistake he just made, how badly he just fucked up, and started to pull away. But Gavin finally responded and wrapped his arms around Ryan’s neck, dragging him closer and kissing him deeper. Ryan’s hands each found a place of their own, one clutching Gavin’s hip possessively, the other twisting into his untamed hair. Something in Ryan’s brain felt like it finally snapped, like a door that had been locked for so long was suddenly flung open, bringing a sense of giddiness and relief. As their kisses grew sloppier and sloppier due to their (unfortunate) need to breathe, Ryan slowly pulled his lips away from the Brit’s and tucked him securely against his chest, placing several gentle kisses on the crown of his head. The older man found himself starting idly tracing the soft spot behind the Lad’s ear while gripping him tightly. The resulting shudder from the Lad was absolutely heavenly. He never realised he could have such a strong effect on someone, especially Gavin. They let the stillness envelop them, neither daring to destroy whatever they just shared. Finally, Gavin spoke.

“Bloody hell.”

“Yeah.”

Gavin pushed Ryan far enough back that he could properly look into his eyes but didn’t drop his arms from their loose grip around the other man’s neck.

“What was that for?”

Ryan blushed, rapidly becoming more and more embarrassed at his behaviour. “I, uh, I maybe perhaps possibly have hypothetically been wanting to do that for a while now?” he croaked, shame permeating every word.

Ryan wondered if he would ever get used to the absolute bliss that accompanied watching the way Gavin’s face lit up with absolute joy. But how could anyone tire of the beauty of their own personal sunset, of a galaxy of stars and planets that only they can see?

“Really? That’s bloody top, Rye! I have, too!” And now it was Gavin’s turn to watch the way even all the diamonds in the world could never match the brilliance in Ryan’s eyes. But just as Gavin started leaning in to kiss that ridiculous smile off Ryan’s face, both men’s phones started ringing, effectively killing the mood. Gavin rolled his eyes but answered and turned on speaker phone when Ryan nodded.

“What the hell do you want, Geoffery?” Gavin barked.

“Where the fuck are you, asshole? You’re lucky as dicks I like you so much or you would’ve been fired and deported a long fucking time ago.”

Ryan interjected, trying to keep his voice smooth and reassuring. “With all due respect, Geoff, we simply lost track of time. We were on our way back when you called. We’re probably only two or three blocks from the office now,”

An eruption of four distinct laughs crackled through the speaker, significantly distorted by the weak connection.

“So you’ve been alone with Ryan this whole time? Oh man, I so fucking called it! I knew they were fucking banging!” Michael shouted from the other end of the line. “Who topped? I bet it was Gavin, the kinky little slut. Did you make Ryan your bitch, boi?”

“Jesus Christ, Jones. I didn’t need that god damn image in my mind!” Geoff cried before switching back to his more boss-like tone. “Whatever, just no fucking in the office, got it? And get your asses back here before I regret letting you two ever meet.” And with that the line went dead.

Gavin just stared with utter disbelief at the sleek phone sitting in the palm of his hand. Ryan laughed and kissed his forehead before picking up the phone and carefully sliding it into the Lad’s pocket. After gently shaking him to bring him back to reality, he offered a shy smile and an open hand. Gavin greedily accepted both, wrapping his long, delicate fingers around Ryan’s sturdy, calloused ones, pausing one last time to bump his nose against Ryan’s before the pair set off again toward their office, happily chatting about anything that came to mind.


	4. You Just Need A Little More Purr-suasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan makes a startling discovery with V and is a lovesick fool for Gavin.

The two men made it back to the office safely and, despite the flood of teasing from their co-workers (seriously, how did the entirety of Rooster Teeth already know?), happily made plans to see each other that weekend. Ryan was absolutely ecstatic, head so far in the clouds that Jack had to check several times that he was okay. Gavin was not much better, constantly sneaking glances at Ryan and shooting coy smiles across the room. Luckily there wasn’t much work left to do and due to their unintentionally prolonged lunch break, the end of the day snuck up on the six men faster than they expected. Being a Wednesday, none of them had big plans for the night, so they quickly packed up and went their separate ways – but not, of course, before Gavin chased Ryan down in the parking lot and demanded a good night kiss.

An hour later, Ryan found himself with a full belly, sprawled out across the couch with a content smile on his face. V hadn’t shown up yet, much to his dismay, but he figured that the cat was busy doing whatever it was he did, especially since he hadn’t had time to come into the office earlier. Still, it hurt a little, especially since he was dying to tell the little cat all about his lunch date ( **A date, V! A real date!** he knew he would probably repeat about twenty times when he finally told him). But he could wait. He was patient.

Sleep didn’t come as easily that night, though. Ryan tried to attribute it to the fact that he was just excited for his date on Friday, but if he paid attention the unfamiliar chill of the sheets and the uncomfortable absence weight resting on his chest, he knew it mostly had to do with V’s disappearance.

When his alarm clock went off the next morning, he slammed his hand down so hard on it that he actually had to double check that he hadn’t broken it. Finding no visible defects, he set the clock back on the side table and slowly flung his feet over the side of the bed. He hissed when his feet touched the cold wood but decided to just get it over with and jumped out of bed. After a brief shower and a steaming cup of coffee, he set off for work, even if he was early.

He walked in muttering to himself, only to stop to say good morning to Geoff who was already immersed in checking his email. Gavin was probably somewhere nearby judging by Geoff’s presence and the mess spread across the Brit’s desk that wasn’t there last night, but Ryan was too tired to go looking for him. Instead, he booted up his computer and placed his head gently on his desk.

_Looks like someone had a rough night last night._

**Oh god, fuck you so much, V. I can’t deal with you right now** , Ryan quickly thought to himself.

_I’m sure you can find it in your heart to deal with me, though. I know you love me, Rye._

Ryan jolted upright, hitting his knee on his desk. He sheepishly glanced over to his boss but fortunately the man was too engrossed in whatever he was doing to notice. Ryan turned back to V and stared directly into his brilliant eyes that seemed to be smiling.

**You… you can hear me?**

_Well, it would seem so, wouldn’t it, Captain Obvious?_ _Seems like you’ve finally fulfilled your title, Ryan the Animal Guy._

The man huffed, turning away from the snarky animal sitting at his feet.

**You don’t have to be rude. I only had a rough night because someone abandoned me.**

_So you admit that you do love and need me?_

A sigh tumbled from Ryan’s lips before he rested his head in his hands. **Fine. Yes. Please don’t make me sleep by myself again, okay?**

_You’re going to have to check with your boyfriend about that one._

Ryan froze. **How did you know about that?**

 _I wasn’t born yesterday, Ryan. Plus, I have my sources_. A soft jingling of a bell was his only warning before he felt four strong paws land on his shoulders. _How about we use our lunch time to take a little kip, then?_

**Just let me finish this video and we’ll lay down, okay? Until then… I need to concentrate. This is a little too weird for me right now.**

Ryan knew this was ridiculous. There was no way he was having a telepathic conversation with a fucking cat. But he was exhausted and needed to finish editing the footage he just loaded onto his computer, so he decided to tuck the whole damn situation into the back of his mind. He figured it was probably getting pretty crowded back there with all he’d been shoving there recently, but he wasn’t anywhere near ready to face a single thing he’d hidden.

Lunch rolled around quickly, each of the men leaving the office one by one. Gavin hadn’t come back to his desk yet, but Geoff had said that Gavin was running errands with a couple other people and probably wouldn’t be back until much later. V started to rub his head against Ryan’s neck, focusing on the point where his pulse was the strongest.

_Rye, come on. You promised you’d lay down for a little. Let me help you sleep._

“Okay, fine. But only because I know I need energy for VS later today if I want to keep my belts.”

V seemed to roll his eyes at that statement but meowed contently when Ryan got up and headed over to the couch. He carefully arranged the pillows and then unwrapped V from his shoulders before laying down, setting the cat in the familiar spot on his chest, and carefully covering them both with the Achievement Hunters blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch. Within minutes of running his fingers through the cat’s untameable mane and lightly tracing the creeper-coloured collar, Ryan was lulled to sleep by V’s satisfied purring.

* * *

“Someone better tell Gav that his new boytoy is cheating on him!” a thick New Jersey accent cackled, rousing Ryan from his refreshing sleep. He jolted awake quickly, eyes flying open to see himself surrounded by various members of Rooster Teeth, all suppressing laughter while frantically snapping pictures with their phones.

“God damn it, guys. Can’t a man take a nap with his faithful pet in peace every once in a while?” Ryan sighed but perked up some when he noticed that V’s back was arched predatorily and his teeth were bared.

**Thanks for protecting me, but I think I can handle this one, buddy.**

_It’s my duty, my liege._

Ryan smiled sweetly at the feline before picking him up and placing him back on his perch on his shoulders. He stretched himself out gently and then stood up, ignoring the others in lieu of walking straight to his desk to begin setting up for the VS that he knew would be happening soon. When everyone saw that the fun was over and that Ryan wouldn’t be indulging them any further, they returned to whatever they’d been working on earlier.

**Thank you for that. I really needed sleep. I missed you last night.**

_I’m sorry I couldn’t’ve been there, love._ V pressed his nose against Ryan’s. The man knew that this was the cat’s attempt at a kiss and he blushed a little at the thought.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised that the cat seemed more and more human. V’s speech patterns, his understanding of human culture, his wide range of emotions, they all pointed to the undeniable fact that there was more to the gorgeous creature than he initially suspected. And now that he and V seemed to have some sort of… mental link? He almost felt a sense of intimacy that he hadn’t really known before. He once again found himself wishing that V could be human, even for a day, but he soon shut down that train of thought due to both its impossibility and the guilt blossoming in his stomach. He had Gavin now, he didn’t need to be thinking about anyone else – especially a damn cat.

Speaking of Gavin, he was beginning to realise just how much he had missed seeing the lad this morning.

**I wish Gav were here. I didn’t think I’d miss him this much. Plus, you two haven’t met yet, have you? I think you’d really like him, V.**

V meowed in response, too tired from the interrupted nap to form a sentence.

Ryan worked one-handed, the other opting to lovingly stroke the spot he quickly learned V loves the most. After an hour or so, his stomach began to grumble and he remembered that he’d skipped lunch in favour of napping. He tried to ignore it but the growling hunger wouldn’t relent, so he gently picked up the cat, carefully set him on top of the warm computer tower, and headed toward the kitchen to grab his bagged lunch. However, when he returned, he noted the noticeably feline-deficient office. He felt his face drop a little until he noted a certain British man curled up in his chair.

“Gavin, you’re back! In my chair, but back nonetheless!” Ryan strode over to the younger man and tenderly pressed a kiss against his tanned pink lips.

“Hi, Rye-Bread! Of course I’m back! I wouldn’t dare miss you beating little Michael again in VS. Mingy little prick doesn’t know what’s coming.”

Ryan breathed out a gentle laugh and then turned to face Michael. “Speaking of which, are you almost ready to lose again, Jones?”

“Fuck you, Haywood. The title’s as good as mine this week,” the curly-haired man snickered.

“Alright, assholes, stop measuring your dicks and let’s just get this over with. We have to film this, a Go!, and a GTAV Let’s Play before we go home tonight,” Geoff’s cracking voice filled the room, commanding the attention of all the Achievement Hunters the way his calm but demanding demeanour always seemed to do. “Michael, go find your fucking wife and tell her to get her ass and her camera in here.”

Michael quickly left the office to track down Lindsay while the rest of the men grabbed their microphones and started prepping for the filming they were about to do. The Joneses returned shortly, camera in tow, and the filming began within a couple minutes.

The challenge was easy, another ridiculous game chosen in a desperate attempt to deviate from Ryan’s weird and seemingly random talents. But, like always, Ryan managed to defeat Michael, much to the auburn man’s chagrin. Of course, the star of Rage Quit had a few loud, choice words for Ryan, but he took it all with a smile, especially since Gav was giving him a cheeky grin and staring at him with those mesmerising eyes which were bright with pride.

As soon as the recording was stopped, the Brit threw himself into Ryan’s arms and kissed him deeply. Ryan instinctively wrapped his arms around Gav, placing his hands under his butt in order to hold him up properly.

“Gaaaaaaaay!” Ray yelled, to which Gavin just lifted his hand, middle finger proudly waving through the air.

“Hey! Remember what I said about fucking in my office!” Geoff shrieked, throwing all the giant stuffed fish at the intertwined couple.

“Awwwww, how cute! Freewood ftw!” Lindsay cooed lovingly.

“Not as cute as Jones2,” Michael retorted, grabbing his wife around the waist and sliding his lips against hers with practiced ease.

“Oh god, help us all,” Jack muttered, wiping a weary hand across his face.

Gavin finally unhooked his legs from Ryan’s waist and let the older man slowly lower him to the floor. He kissed the Gent one more time and then gently tapped their noses together in a way that made Ryan’s heart flutter.

“Alright, is everyone done or do we need to take a ten minute break to jerk each other off?” Geoff grumbled.

“Well, since you’re offering, Geoffery…” Gavin began, eyes mischievously darting to his boyfriend.

“No. Absolutely not. That was sarcasm, you piece of shit. We have two more videos to record, and, like I said, I want to go the fuck home.” Geoff started pushing everyone back to their desks and pulled out a notebook containing his ideas for Go!.

The video went smoothly, to say the least, with Ray winning once again (nothing new there), as did the Let’s Play, despite the wildly suggestive things Gavin couldn’t stop spouting. To his credit, though, he did try to spread them evenly between all the guys so that it wasn’t obvious that he and Ryan were now a _thing_ but he knew that some of it would have to be edited out if he really wanted it to remain hidden from the audience a little while longer.

The men finished their GTAV recording after Michael and Gavin set off a remarkably large explosion that elicited body-shaking laughter from the entire crew. They all quickly shut off their Xboxes and started gathering their things. Gavin sauntered over to Ryan’s desk, throwing his arms around the older man’s neck and kissing a spot under his jaw that made him undeniably tremble. The Gent looked up at the Brit, icy eyes melting at the warmth between them.

“I can’t wait until tomorrow, love,” Gavin roughly whispered, lips gently ghosting over Ryan’s ear. Another uncontrollable shiver ran down his spine and he had to bite his tongue to stifle the deep groan that started to rumble in his chest.

“I’ll be there to pick you up at seven. Dress nice, but not too nice. Does that sound good?” Ryan shifted a little in Gavin’s arms so he could turn to face him. Gavin quickly nodded and bumped his nose against Ryan’s like he had before. A wide smile threatened to break his face and a hearty chuckled rolled off his tongue into the small space between them. “Perfect,” he breathed happily.

They said goodbye with kisses full of excitement for the next day and whispered promises that they’ll see each other soon. When Ryan pulled into his driveway, he couldn’t’ve wiped the goofy grin off his face if he even wanted to.


	5. You're Pawsitively Purrfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexxii tiems and also duh the biggest (and most expected) plot twist in the history of histories.

V had stopped by that night, much to Ryan’s relief. He knew he needed to get a good night’s sleep if he wanted to be presentable for his date, and he also knew that the only way he could get that was by curling up with his furry companion. The following morning was rushed, however, full of picking out his outfit for his date and cleaning his apartment just in case Gavin decided to come over for a … drink afterwards. Yeah, a drink. Only a drink. Why would anyone assume anything else?

Ryan talked to the cat all morning, a constant stream of nervousness. V did his best to calm the man, but there’s really only so much one cat can do.

_I’ll try to visit at work, but I’m probably not going to stop by tonight. As much as I love you, Rye, I don’t think I really want to see you and Gav going at it like animals._

“V, you literally are an animal. Plus, it’s not like you haven’t already seen me naked or anything.” The statement made Ryan rouge a little bit, realising that the cat had in fact seen him in such an intimate way already, but he pushed those thoughts back into the closet he was hiding all the others.

_You’re just worried that you won’t be able to sleep, aren’t you?_

Ryan felt his cheeks heat up even more, embarrassed that the cat was able to read him so well.

“Well, that too. I just want to be with both of you. I can’t think of a better way to spend my night.”

 _Maybe another night. I’ll try, okay? Just not tonight._ Ryan nodded, feeling his heart sink a little at the cat’s obvious avoidance.  _Anyways, like I said, I’ll try to stop by at work today, okay?_ V pressed his cold, pink nose against Ryan’s before turning around and slipping out the window. The man finished preparing for his day and jumped in his car, anxious to get all his work done so he could finally take his  _boyfriend_  (the word still felt so strange on his tongue) out on an official date.

* * *

 

Work, despite feeling like it was five times longer than usual, actually went by smoothly. Ryan was out the doors faster than he ever had been. V hadn’t shown up which had bummed Ryan out a bit, but Gavin had kept him company for a lot of the day, even taking Jack’s desk when the bearded man left to help Burnie with some project the two were working on.

But now Ryan was home alone and his anxiety was quickly catching up to him. The butterflies in his stomach had seemingly transformed into something more intense, perhaps a million shooting stars all burning up on their way into the atmosphere. After scrubbing every surface of his house and making his bed three times (because he didn’t want the sheets to be too lumpy and thus make it look like he didn’t take care of his bed but also didn’t want them too smooth and thus make it look like he never slept here), Ryan glanced at the clock and decided it was time to make his way over to Gavin’s. He looked in the mirror one more time, carding shaking fingers through his swooped hair and straightening his blue button-up shirt before sighing and setting off toward his car.

Picking up Gavin went more smoothly than he had anticipated. He figured he’d run into Geoff since the lad did live in his backyard, but luckily there was no sight of him (though he could’ve sworn he saw the curtains in the front window of the house move when they were pulling out of the driveway).

Despite his overwhelming nervousness, the two easily slipped into a comfortable conversation. Ryan found his attention straying from the road more than once as he watched Gavin wildly gesticulate, but fortunately the restaurant was extremely close to Gavin’s place so they didn’t have too far to go. Once they parked, Ryan walked around the other side of the car to open the Brit’s door, offering a warm hand to help him stand. Gavin eagerly took it, linking his fingers with the older man’s, a soft smile tugging at his slender lips.

The little Italian restaurant was extremely crowded and Ryan was immensely glad he had thought to make reservations on Wednesday after they decided to make this official. The hostess dropped them off at a small booth in the corner that had been reserved for the two men. The waitress soon arrived, asking how the men were and if they wanted anything to drink. She leaned in closer than she really needed to when Gavin put in his order which made Ryan feel uneasy and suddenly very insecure. She was certainly very pretty, her red hair reminding him of someone he knew Gavin used to date. Surprisingly, though, the younger man didn’t notice, instead keeping his eyes focused on his menu, only glancing up to check with Ryan to see if his order was okay. Ryan numbly nodded and then placed his own order, eyes never leaving the woman who was clearly throwing herself at Gavin.

After the waitress left, Ryan still couldn’t quite relax. The lad seemed to pick up on this, clearly confused by his boyfriend’s abrupt mood shift. It wasn’t until the waitress returned with their drinks and reached over Gavin in a way that ensured that he got a face full of her generous cleavage that it all clicked into place. He almost laughed out loud when he realised what had the man across from him sulking.

“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress softly prompted.

“Ah, yes. I was thinking about having the  _pasta e **fag** ioli_,” he nearly purred, placing heavy emphasis on the first syllable of fagioli, before grabbing Ryan’s hand, “but I think I’ve decided to have the  _penne all'arrabbiata_ with chicken, if that’s alright. And my  _boyfriend_  here, he’d like… What did you want, again, love?”

“The, uh, duck ravioli?” Ryan choked out, eyes wide while he shifted uneasily in his seat, but he happily squeezed Gavin’s hand when the man gripped it tighter in order to try to comfort him.

The waitress seemed to catch on to the Brit’s hints, hastily apologising and tripping over herself in a frantic attempt to scurry back to the kitchen as quickly as possible.

 **Holy shit. He did not need to do that for me** , Ryan thought, mind aflame with disbelief that Gavin would so blatantly stand up for him.

“I needed to do that, love. Gotta make my loyalties known and all that, yeah?”

Ryan sat speechless, not understanding any of the situation, particularly in awe of Gavin’s impeccable ability to read him like an open book.

The rest of dinner went well, Ryan quickly relaxing after Gavin so boldly marked his claim. Their gentle banter became more and more flirtatious despite neither man touching a single drop of alcohol during dinner. Once the check was paid (and despite Gavin’s complaining, a large tip left), the couple all but fell over themselves getting out the door. As soon as they were buckled in the seats, Ryan turned to face his boyfriend, opening his mouth to ask if Gavin would like to come over. But no words ever made it out because suddenly a certain British goon with the moonlight in his eyes latched onto him, teeth nipping gently at his bottom lip, dragging an uncontrollable whimper from deep within his chest.

“Yours or mine?” Ryan asked, feeling the familiar flush spreading across his face. He felt like such a teenager again, but he honestly couldn’t find it in his heart to give a shit.

“Yours. I don’t think Geoff would take too kindly to us shagging on his property.”

“Right. Hang on then.” One last kiss and a meeting of noses left Ryan satisfied enough to shift the car into drive and start the (thankfully short) journey home.

They had barely crossed the threshold of Ryan’s house when Gavin slammed him against the wall with all his weight. A gasp escaped his lips, followed by a rumbling growl when he felt teeth lightly sink into the sensitive skin of his neck. The growl grew deeper as he threaded his arms around the other man’s legs, hands flush with his butt, and easily lifted him from the ground. He grinned ferociously against Gavin’s lips and squeezed his ass, using the lad’s startled squeak to slip his tongue into his mouth. He kissed his boyfriend deeply, as if drinking water for the first time after a week in the desert.

Glad they chose his house, if only for the familiarity of the layout, he shuffled his way to the bedroom, carefully laying the smaller man onto his meticulously made bed. He blindly switched on the lamp next to his bed, using the new light to carefully examine the man laying underneath him. Gavin’s hair was an absolute mess, sandy locks sticking out in impossible directions, and his eyes were nearly black from how wide his pupils were blown with unquestionable lust, a beautiful ring of green being the only indication of their original colour.

 _Please fuck me, Ryan_ , a particularly pitiful moan reverberated through his head.  _Please, I need you, Ryan._

In that moment, Ryan didn’t notice that the man’s lips hadn’t really moved at all, only slightly ajar to facilitate the pathetic whimpers that echoed in stillness. Ryan didn’t notice much aside from the delicious whines pouring out of the man, the undeniable hardness rapidly forming against his thigh, the nagging tightness of his own slacks.

Within seconds, Ryan found his hands tearing off Gavin’s shirt, kissing and biting his way down the man’s neck. He sucked hard at a particularly sensitive spot, growling possessively when the man beneath him practically  _sang_  in pleasure.

**Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.**

_Yours. Yours. Yours. Yours._

Ryan finished stripping the rest of the other’s clothing, quickly moving on to his own. Gavin writhed on the bed, trying to start jerking himself off while he watched his partner undress.

**No. I get you off, you hear? Stop touching.**

Gavin immediately let go of his leaking cock and nodded. He had never seen this side of Ryan, this wild, animalistic side that wanted so desperately to pleasure and claim his boyfriend. And he had never been this bloody  _aroused_.

Finally, Ryan ridded himself of his clothes and settled just above Gavin’s waist. He slid a hand across his tanned chest, letting his fingers tangle in the hair that decorated the warm skin. It reminded him so much of V’s fur and his thoughts quickly flashed back to the little cat. He shook his head soon after, though, remembering the beautiful sight laying in front of him.

With rough kisses and affectionate bites, Ryan made his way down toward the flushed dick his partner kept trying in vain to buck up against him. He locked eyes with Gav before cautiously licking a stripe up the man’s length and eventually taking it fully into his mouth. The resulting moan that tore from the Brit’s throat sounded more like a desperate meow than anything else, but absolutely nothing could ever sound more heavenly to Ryan.

He continued his ministrations on Gavin’s cock, humming deeply as Gav started bucking wildly into his throat.

_Oh, Christ, Rye. I’m gonna-_

Ryan pulled off with a wet pop.  **No. Not yet** , he commanded darkly.

Gavin whimpered but nodded, focusing on making his breathing more even.

Ryan leaned over to his side table and opened the drawer, carefully fishing out a condom and lube. He threw the foil square somewhere near Gavin’s leg but swiftly popped open the cap of the slender bottle. After warming it up between his hands, he shifted himself over the panting man, passionately kissing him. With the lad distracted, he carefully slipped his first finger into him, relishing in the near  _purr_  the man produced. He quickly worked Gavin open, using three fingers to push relentlessly against the man’s prostate. Gasping for air and thrashing wildly on the bed, he quickly caught Ryan’s other hand and pulled desperately, words failing him for possibly the first time in his life.

Luckily, Ryan got the idea and removed his fingers, hand flying to the condom he threw to the side earlier. Despite not having done this in a while, he swiftly rolled it down his length and added a bit more lube, rubbing it on himself with slow, strong strokes, groaning at the feeling of finally tending to his aching cock.

He carefully lifted Gavin’s legs, hooking them over his shoulders and placing his hands tightly on the lithe man’s hips. He met Gavin’s wild gaze, one eyebrow raised upwards, looking for any last minute change of mind.

 _Pleasepleasepleaseplease_.

He quickly slid inside his boyfriend, revelling in the tight heat. He waited for the sign to tell him to continue which came a minute later once Gav had adjusted to the pleasant stretch. He slowly pulled out, only to immediately slam all the way back in, roughly pressing against Gavin’s sensitive bundle of nerves. The Brit’s back arched impossibly off the mattress, chest pressing flush against Ryan’s. A symphony of porn-worthy moans rang in his ears as he eagerly repeated the action.

 **Mine** _yours_ **mine** _yours_ **mine**.

Both men knew they weren’t going to last long, the pleasant warmth coiling tighter and tighter. Gavin was the first to finish, orgasm coursing through his body while white heat flooded his limbs. Ryan followed after two or three more thrusts, unable to handle the breathtaking way Gavin’s body tightened around him.

After catching their breath, Ryan cautiously pulled out, tying off the condom and tossing it into the bin next to his bed. He grabbed a couple tissues and gently wiped the cooling mess off of Gav’s stomach, immediately adding those to the bin as well.

Ryan tenderly pressed his lips against the trembling man’s face, painstakingly kissing every square inch. Gavin giggled but the exhaustion was clear in his hooded eyelids and slowing breathing. He leaned up and nudged Ryan’s nose with his own before pulling the Gent down onto the mattress and gracefully intertwining their limbs. Ryan sighed contently, letting his fingers run through Gav’s messier-than-usual hair before closing his eyes and falling into the deepest sleep he’s ever had.

* * *

 

Ryan woke up to a gentle tickling against his nose and an unusual warmth wrapped around him. When he opened his eyes, he lovingly took in the thin form of a sleeping man with wild sandy hair and a peaceful face. He pressed a gentle kiss to the man’s forehead and allowed himself to drift back to sleep.

**Mine.**


	6. Time to Face the Meowsic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look what the cat dragged in: the truth.

By the time Ryan finally joined the land of the living, he felt significantly colder than he did last night. A dull ache laced his muscles but with it came undeniable happiness. Slowly opening his eyes, he turned over to an empty bed, sheets left in a tangled mess. Panic started to set in until the sweet scent of syrup and sugar wafted towards him and he noticed the two pairs of pants and two crumpled shirts thrown haphazardly on the floor. He smiled to himself as he lifted his weary body from the mattress.

“Hey, Gav. I’m surprised you’re up already. Not gonna lie, I took you for one of those guys who would sleep until 3 PM if they were able,” Ryan called out of the bedroom before bending over to pick up the significantly wrinkled articles of clothing scattered across his room. He started with his own shirt and slacks, carefully shaking out the creases and placing the neatly in his hamper. He folded Gavin’s shirt and set it on the chair in the corner of his room before turning to do the same with the lad’s pants. “What are you making, by the way? It smells so good. Never took you for a chef eith—“ Ryan choked on the light banter as he noticed something fall out of the pants with a soft jingle.

Gavin came running into the room as quickly as possible (after carefully turning off the stove and setting aside the French toast he had been slaving over for the last hour – hey, he wasn’t gonna burn them _again_ ), freezing as soon as he caught sight of the older man holding a thin, green-splotched collar between trembling fingers.

Ryan’s mind was spinning a million miles per hour, trying to parse together the meaning of V’s edgy behaviour the day before and Gavin’s sudden possession of the cat’s collar. His eyes suddenly burned with a mix of fear and anger.

“I swear to God, Gavin, if you did **anything** to V, absolutely **_anything_** , I will put you in the ground, so help me! You _know_ how much this cat means to me, even if it seems childish, I don’t give a single fuck. I can’t believe you wouldn’t just tell me if something was wrong! I can’t even, I just, I can’t, how could you, I can’t bel-“

“RYAN!”

Ryan froze immediately, fingers tightening around the medallion hanging from the collar.

“That isn’t what happened and you know it,” Gavin slowly began, gentle, pleading eyes focused on Ryan’s terror-filled ones. “Do you remember last night? The past few months? Can you really believe that so many coincidences could exist in one bloody place?”

Suddenly, it clicked. The nose bumps. The unruly mane. The hazel, knowing eyes. The way the cat saw little but still knew too much. The absolute adoration. The playful banter. The undeniable ache they both felt when they were apart. Even the god damn accent.

“You’re V.” It wasn’t a question. Ryan was near hyperventilating at this point. Despite making the connection, his rational brain was working in overdrive, trying to find the most reasonable explanation. When he decided he wasn’t going to find it on his own, he sighed in defeat. “How?”

“Okay, don’t freak out, Rye. I need you to stay with me and not say anything until I’m done, okay?” Ryan nodded, silenced by either burning curiosity or intrigued horror, but he wasn’t sure which. “Okay, so, it sounds like a right fairy tale but I’m actually kind of like a shapeshifter? I mean, I only have one form, so it’s not exactly like the shapeshifters you see on the telly or anything like that, and it’s not like a werewolf because I can choose when I change, but basically I can turn into a Maine Coon? Like V? And I mean, I don’t really know what else to say because I don’t think words are really doing it for you right now if I’m reading your blank mug correctly, so I guess I’ll just show you if you don’t mind? Uh, alright, uh, this part is kinda awkward so bear with me.” He gently took the collar from Ryan’s still quivering grasp and delicately secured it around his slender neck. “Okay, take a deep breath and it’ll be over soon, okay, Rye?”

Ryan inhaled sharply and held it before remembering to continue the pattern. Gavin closed his eyes and let the change take over. He felt the familiar ears rise from the wild bedhead he had acquired and the long, sweeping tail begin to descend over the top of his boxers. Slowly, so as not to startle the terrified man in front of him, he lowered himself onto all fours, allowing his body to shrink and rearrange, the feeling no longer that of the burning acid he felt the first time he changed. In fact, he found that the more he transformed into his feline form, the more he enjoyed the gentle stretch of his muscles. The only thing he had ever hated about this form was his loss of being able to communicate. But since he had discovered Ryan’s _talents_ , he found that that was no longer an issue. Until the two started dating, Gavin was sure that he would be willing to spend forever as V as long as it meant getting to be with Ryan.

Once the change was complete, V (well, Gavin) let out a polite meow to tell Ryan that it was finished and he could speak.

“You’re V.”

_Okay, yeah, Ryan. We established that five minutes ago. I’m the bloody cat._

“You’re V.”

_Jesus, Rye! Yes! I’m V, god damn it! Big surprise, innit? But we’ve covered it._

Ryan still hadn’t moved, frozen in what Gavin assumed was absolute terror.

_Look, I’ll leave if you want. The last person I showed, my boyfriend back in England – well, I guess I told you he was my owner, but that’s because it would’ve been damn strange if I called him my boyfriend in this form – didn’t quite like that I was like this. Told me I was a monster and treated me like one, too. That was when I knew I had to run to the States, and thank god I had already been talking to the Ramseys at the time or who knows what would’ve happened. Anyways, I’ve just been stalling at this point and it’s clear that you don’t want me here right now, so I’ll, uh. I guess I’ll see you around, Rye._

The world seemed to unfreeze around Ryan as the cat turned and pitifully slunk back to the open window in the kitchen.

“Gav, wait.”

The animal froze, casting a hesitant glance over his shoulder.

“I didn’t get a chance to say anything. You rambled on forever and wouldn’t let me gather my thoughts. But I’m ready. Can you change back?”

 _Yeah, hold on._ The cat drew up on his hind legs, body once again shifting in the way that made his muscles stretch _juuust_ right. He was just about to start drawing back in his ears and tail when Ryan put a hand on his arm, sheepish grin blooming across his face.

“Can you, uh, leave those? If it’s possible?”

Gavin blushed but nodded, unsure of how to take the man’s request. Ryan gently laced their fingers together, leading them back to the messy bed. He leaned against the headboard and patted the space beside him. With familiar grace, the Brit leapt up, quickly curling up against Ryan’s chest, nose pressed firmly against his rapidly thrumming pulse point.

“Okay, I’ll admit, I had my suspicions, but I thought I was absolutely insane.”

“Well, I mean, you still could be. You could be hallucinating, Ry. All hail the Mad King!” Gavin sang, only quieting when Ryan playfully _booped_ his nose.

“ _Anyways_ , as I was saying. I was actually thinking about what it would be like if V were a human but every time I tried to picture it, I just saw you. And then I was able to fucking _communicate_ after you and I kissed, which I just told myself was a huge coincidence despite the fact that it felt like part of my brain snapped in two. But I’m actually so relieved because I spent so much time wondering if it would be considered cheating if I was harbouring impossible fantastical situations with my damn cat and now I don’t have to worry about that because those impossible fantastical situations came true and it turns out that the damn cat is actually my boyfriend and so there really wasn’t anything to worry about in the first place, was there?”

Gavin laughed, the chuckles turning into a quiet purr as the man’s fingers curled instinctively into the shifter’s unkempt hair. He leaned up and kissed the older man on the lips and then bumped their noses together in a motion that after so long just felt _right_.

They both jumped when their stomachs growled at the same time, wide smiles gracing their faces.

“I made French toast?” Gavin offered. “It was bloody difficult since I had to handle wet bread,” he gagged once but quickly put it out of his mind, “and I may have buggered it once or twice, but I think these ones finally turned out alright. We’ll just have to heat them up a little, yeah?”

But before they could get off the bed, Gavin climbed onto Ryan’s back, throwing his arms around the man’s neck and wrapping his tail around the man’s arm.

_I can’t bloody sit on your shoulders in this form, now can I? So this will just have to do for now._

Ryan’s body shook with a quiet laugh before hooking his arms under the lad’s legs and carrying him to the kitchen on his back.

* * *

 

They spent the rest of the weekend together, Gavin shifting lazily between forms depending on what the men were doing. Ryan slept well, but his dreams were beginning to stress him out.

He would wake up in the dream and everything would be larger than he was used to. The lamp seemed twice as big and the fall from the bed to the floor looked like it would take an hour before he landed. He moved quickly, movements awkward and but somehow still saturated with grace. He would try to yell, to call for help, but nothing would come out. Finally, he would stop in front of a mirror, blinking furiously as the image in front of his eyes stared blankly back at him, cold and unfamiliar. But before he could recognise what exactly was looking back at him, he was violently wrenched from his dreams with a pained sob, body shooting upright.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much Gavin prodded, he could never quite remember what he saw in the mirror.


	7. This Is a Cat-astrophy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scary dreams for one man turn into a scary reality for the other.

The dreams were quickly getting to Ryan, there was no denying that. Over the next six months, Ryan found himself searching for excuses to stay away at night to avoid the damn things. He had to admit that the dreams themselves weren’t terrifying; instead, it was the absolute horror he felt at the end of each one, the acidic bile that rose as he tried to scream, and his complete inability to recall what he had seen to cause that reaction. It was driving him insane. The guys at work realised that he was struggling but no one could get enough of an explanation out of him to understand the situation. Gavin wasn’t too helpful in that department either since Ryan couldn’t even articulate his fear to the shifter.

Gav spent a lot more time in his feline form in order to physically calm his partner, but was fortunately able to constantly relay soothing words through their mental link when he was stuck in his human form for filming. Ryan never said anything about it, but the Brit knew just how much the older man appreciated it and how much it helped.

The other guys were used to Gavin’s ‘absence’ and V’s presence now, even freely talking to him as Ryan often did. Of course, they couldn’t hear the Brit’s sharp responses that often sent Ryan into a fit of giggles so they just assumed that their seemingly one-sided conversations with the cat were the cause of the man’s glee. It wasn’t long before Ryan was ‘translating’ for them. The men rolled their eyes at the childish gesture but played along to see how happy it seemed to make the Gent. Gavin was pleased that he could now communicate with them, even if only in a highly simplistic manner that was played off as a huge joke. He at least now had Ryan to step in if one of the Lads was terrorising him or if Geoff was fed up and throwing things at the animal to relieve stress.

Of course, Gavin was seriously unsettled by Ryan’s dreams. He had moved into the older man’s house the month before despite Geoff’s uncertain looks and the incessant teasing that maybe they were rushing things. However, the two men had been companions for a lot long, and hell, some people got married after a month of knowing each other, for gods sakes!

Either way, he was there to calm his boyfriend down from every dream, using kisses and mental nudges in order to quell the anguished sobs that shook the man’s entire body. Once he figured out that the man was avoiding bedtime, he attempted to stay up as well in order to convince Ryan that he was being silly and to come back to bed.

“I’m not tired, Gavin. You should go to bed so you get a full night’s rest.”

“I’m not sleeping without you, you mong.

Ryan sighed and shuffled into the bedroom, Gavin eagerly behind, surprised to see his plan actually working. The two slipped into a deep sleep within minutes. The nightmares emerged around 4 AM, only a muffled scream before sudden stillness. Gavin sighed, kissed a gentle kiss to the mess of taupe in front of his face, and snuggled back into the pillows before sending Ryan a gentle mental nudge. He thought nothing about the lack of response, assuming that the man had finally slipped back into unconsciousness, a place Gavin knew he was well on his way to.

* * *

 

After a month of living together, Gavin couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up alone. Ryan typically woke up first but stayed in bed until the younger also roused from sleep. The two would kiss languidly before getting up and starting their day.

But this morning, the gentle musk of his partner was too faint to be anything other than a residual scent on the sheets. In the next second, Gavin was sprinting out of the bedroom, eyes frantically scanning for any sign of the older man. What he found left him breathless. The lamp in the living room had been knocked over as had last night’s wine glasses the men left on the table. The mirror that usually hung on the wall in the foyer was lying on the tile in shattered pieces. Several pictures of the couple lay strewn about the room as if they’d been violently thrown from their place on the mantle. The front door was wide open. Ryan was nowhere to be found. 

* * *

 

“No, Geoff, you have to come **now**!” Gavin screamed into his phone, claws emerging from the other hand, digging into the soft flesh of his palm. “Please! I can’t find him anywhere and he didn’t leave a note and the house is a right mess! What if something happened to him?”

Despite being before 6 AM, Geoff miraculously agreed, motor stilling in the driveway less than fifteen minutes later. Gavin threw himself at the moustached man, sobbing so hard that he almost missed.

“Hey, it’s okay, Gavvy. We’re gonna find him. I’m sure he’s okay, alright? He’s a big guy and we know that mother fucker can throw a knife like a psychopath so he’ll be a-okay, got it?” Geoff’s gravelly voice somehow soothed Gavin’s fraying nerves but he knew it didn’t even begin to compare to the deep, hushed tones of his boyfriend’s. Thinking about Ryan again sent him back into hysterics. “Look, go take a shower and I’ll clean up. We can’t report him missing for 48 hours or some shit, okay, but we can use this time to go looking for him. I’ll clean up the house while you clean up yourself.”

Sniffling, the Brit numbly nodded, plodding back into the house and straight to the bathroom. He lathered up with Ryan’s favourite shampoo, hoping the familiar scent would calm his frantic heart. Once he dried off, he tugged on one of the older man’s shirts, the blue one that made his eyes shine like the warmest Caribbean waters that threatened to drown Gavin in the love behind them. The shirt hung off him a little awkwardly but it did wonders to help soothe the lad’s quickly deteriorating mental state. He pulled on his favourite pair of jeans and laced up his sneakers, grabbing his keys, wallet, and phone before heading out to the living room where the eldest Gent stood.

For as much of a messy, distracted man Geoff could pretend to be, he was a bloody fast cleaner. All the glass had been disposed of, the wine glasses washed and returned to the cabinet, the pictures all placed in their original spots. Gavin breathed out in relief. With the front door closed and the living room looking like it usually does (minus the missing mirror), it was easier to relax. They would find Ryan, he probably just couldn’t find something this morning and then ran out and forgot to lock the door and the wind probably just blew it open and there was absolutely nothing to worry about. Abso-bloody-lutely nothing to worry about. Right?

“Alright, bud. Let’s drive around a little, okay? We’ll give it an hour before we head to the office to see if he somehow ended up there.”

Gavin nodded but knew that if they checked the garage, the car would still be parked in its place like it always was. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ryan’s keys hanging on the peg by the door and his phone still plugged into the wall near the kitchen. He was willing to bet that the man’s wallet was probably still in the pocket of the jeans he had worn yesterday. But Gavin tried his best to ignore these thoughts ( _facts_ , he muttered before locking that away, too) and focus on finding his boyfriend.

The two quickly climbed into Geoff’s car, Geoff swinging a protective arm around Gavin’s shoulders as a father would do for his son. The Brit smiled weakly in return, trying to show his appreciation over the overwhelming panic. The older man understood, however, and simply put the car into drive before setting off to slowly circle the neighbourhood.

They checked all the parks in the area, as with the bars, coffee shops, grocery stores. Their thoughts soon grew gloomier, looking down each alleyway, poking through the dark corners of the city, driving slowly past sketchy looking industrial parks. An hour passed, and then another, and finally the two slumped further into their seats as Geoff turned the car around and pointed it to their office.

“We’ll find him, Gavvers. I promise. I’ll help you, no matter what,” Geoff promised, attempting to smooth the deep creases in the Gavin’s forehead with his gentle inked fingers.

“I’m so scared, Geoff. I can’t lose him.”

Geoff just sighed and pulled the shaking lad into his arms. They stayed that way for a couple minutes before the older man grunted something about getting their asses into work because the internet doesn’t have a soul and never sleeps. That earned a pathetic chuckle from the Brit before they cautiously opened the front door and slowly made their way back to their office, dragging their feet to delay the sight of Ryan’s empty desk.

Gavin’s breath stuck in his chest as he heard a cheerful shout from his boi the moment his foot crossed into the office.

“Gav, you better be careful! It looks like your boyfriend is replacing both you and V with a new friend!”


	8. Pawlease Say This Is Just a Clawful Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I'm a cat and you're a cat and he's a cat then who's flying the plane???

A large speckled Savannah cat sat curled up in Ryan’s chair, a low whine rumbling from the startled feline. Gavin dropped to his knees in front of the cowering animal, cautiously tapping his nose against the trembling cat’s.

_Rye?_

**Gav?**  the cat whimpered, lifting his tired head. The dark spots shone against the golden blond he was used to seeing on the Gent.  **What’s happening to me? Why can’t I talk to them? Why is everything so big?**

_Breathe, love. This is a bit of a minging situation we’ve found ourselves in, but I’m here now, Rye, I’m here. Do you know what happened? Do you know what you look like?_

**I haven’t seen myself yet. I don’t know if I want to. The guys haven’t been answering my questions, no matter how loudly I yell. This is just one of my dreams, right? I’m going to wake up and it’ll be over and then we can have coffee and read the newspaper and everything will go back to normal, right, Gav?**

_Okay, okay. Look, first’s thing’s first. We’re gonna take a cheeky little selfie to show you what you look like, okay? I think that might clear a few questions up. Can you climb up onto my shoulders?_

The guys were watching in silent awe at the understanding passing between the man and the cat. The timid cat pulled itself up the Brit’s arm, cautiously settling around his shoulders the way he had seen the other shifter do so many times before.

“I think he likes me, you guys!” Gavin squealed in an attempt to break the tense silence that had fallen over the office. He quickly pulled up his camera and flipped the view so he was smiling straight at the small lens. “Smile, love! Show me that pretty little mug.”

He held the camera in front of his face to allow the feline some time to see the photo and (hopefully) begin to process what was happening. If the panicked meowing in his ear was any indication, though, he was willing to hazard a guess that Ryan wasn’t exactly taking this too well.

“Okay, so, I don’t really think that he’s digging this whole crowd thing, so I’m gonna go take him to the break room to try to calm him down. I’ll be back in a bit.” He was met with grumbling but no one made any real move to stop him so he continued on his journey to somewhere more private.

The break room ended up being heavily inhabited (Barb and Joel were making fun of the eight cans Burnie had already opened that morning) so Gavin quickly diverted them to the bathroom. Once he got there, he carefully set Ryan down on the counter and turned on the faucet to splash some water onto his own face. The cat crept closer to the sink, cautiously batting a single paw through the stream. He quickly became enthralled by the way the water flowed around his paws, and the giggles that erupted from his boyfriend definitely helped him cheer up. Eventually, though, the lad decided that they should really get around to discussing this latest development and quickly shut off the tap. Ryan immediately began pouting.

“You know, for being a cat, you’ve really perfected your ‘puppy dog eyes’, Rye.” The cat stiffened at the statement, suddenly remembering his recent metamorphosis. “Okay, yeah, it’s bloody strange, I agree, but it's obviously already happened and so we should focus on fixing it, right?”

**Uh, sure. I guess that makes sense. I mean I just have to shift back, right? You’ve done it a million times, I’m sure you can just talk me through it.**

Gavin sighed. “Yeah, I’ve done it a lot. But that doesn’t mean it will be exactly the same for you. It’s not like there’s a manual for this, yeah? Plus, it’s it definitely won't be the most… enjoyable experience either.”

Icy blue eyes suddenly darted to the tiled floor, refusing to look anywhere near the man’s. The Brit placed a gentle hand under the shivering animal’s chin, angling his gaze upward to try to resume their previous eye contact.

“I know it’s terrifying, love, but I’ll be there. I promise. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you this morning. I really wish that you had woken me up. You sent me into a right panic.”

**I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I thought it was just another nightmare. I mean, it has to be. There’s no other explanation.**

“Dan would probably have one. He knows all about this kind of stuff.” The older man (er, cat) looked up at him quizzically. “Of course Dan knows, you mong. He’s my best mate. First person I told actually, back when I was just a little kitten. He’s dealt with it, too. Only other person I've ever met who also shifted. Well, until today, that is.”

**When can you call him?**

“I don’t want to risk it until we get home, okay? I’ll send him a text right now and then we’ll log onto Skype as soon as we get back. We’re gonna get through this, Rye. We’ll be okay,” Gavin reassured, a light smile dusting his lips. “Do you think you can stay at the office until it’s time to go? I have a lot of work to catch up on, but if you need to go home now, I can ask one of the guys. Or you can run back if you want some time alone.”

**No, I don’t want to be alone. I’ll stay with you. Can I sit on you, though?**

The lad tapped their noses together with a chuckle before nodding and lifting the cat up to his shoulders. He pulled out his phone and swiftly tapped out a message, carefully rereading it a couple times before pressing send and pocketing it again. 

_Christ, you would end up being the largest breed of domestic cat, Rye-Bread._

**It's not my fault; I’m just big boned. Plus, it’s not like you’re the smallest breed there is, either. What’s your excuse?**  Gavin swore the cat stuck his tongue out.

When they returned to the office, the guys all turned around to face them.

“Looks like I'm next in line for the title of Animal Whisperer!” the Brit exclaimed with a giggle while the cat happily licked at his cheek.

“I’m so glad for you, asshole, but we have shit to record. It sucks dicks that we have to film without Ryan but we don’t really have much of a choice. We have to put out another video in less than twenty-four hours,” Geoff groaned.

Gavin suddenly remembered the terror of their morning and the resulting grief sitting on Geoff's chest right now. He felt the need to reassure the man that Ryan was okay but he didn’t know how. An idea rapidly came to him.

“Oh! Geoffrey, you don’t need to worry! Rye-Bread just texted me when I was dealing with this silly sausage! He’s at home. Apparently one of our neighbours came over this morning and asked him to help with some damn emergency they were having. He accidentally made a huge mess because he couldn’t find something they asked him to bring and then as he was legging it out the door, he knocked the mirror off the wall and didn’t quite close the door all the way so the bloody wind blew it open. He forgot to bring his phone with him or leave a note because our neighbour said he didn’t have much time. Bloody ridiculous, innit?” he finished with a sheepish smile.

The moustached man narrowed his eyes suspiciously while listening to Gavin’s long-winded explanation but finally nodded and let it go. “Is that asshole coming in at all today, then?”

“Nah, apparently it all went down pretty early this morning and he finally just got home, so he’s going to take a little kip. He promised that he’d do some of the editing on his own time in return, though.” Ryan bristled on the man's shoulder at the last statement, annoyed that he suddenly threw extra work on top of their already complicated situation.

“Fine with me. He’s not getting paid overtime for it, though. That asshole’s ruining a perfectly good recording by not being here.”

Gavin laughed and quickly patted the grumpy feline hanging around his shoulders. The five men set up their games and began recording the only video they needed for the day. Ryan seemed to have come out of whatever slump he was in, meowing and chirping happily when Gavin started to take the lead. Every time the lad began to fall behind again, Ryan would jump off his shoulders and try to sabotage the other guys. His tactics started out rather simple – a forceful swat at the microphone to knock it off kilter and briefly distract whoever his unfortunate victim was – but soon escalated to more drastic measures such as sitting directly in front of a monitor or even waving his tail right in someone’s eyes to temporarily blind them.

“Vav, you know I love cats, I really do, but your new friend is a fucking asshole,” Ray growled.

“I know, that’s why I love him,” Gavin purred back. He shot Ryan a wink from across the room.

“Oooh, I’m telling Ryan!” Michael teased, but the Brit just let his laugh shake his entire body as he took the final kill of the match.

* * *

 

It had taken a while to convince any of the guys to drive him home that night after Ryan effectively pissed off each of them. Though Gavin was exasperated by the grovelling he had to do to find a way home, he had to admit that he was actually pretty proud of his boyfriend’s sneaky techniques.

Once they got home, Gavin immediately grabbed the laptop and followed the cat into the bedroom. He opened up the computer and let it begin connecting to the internet and loading Skype. Once he clicked the appropriate buttons, he turned his attention back to the cat curled up next to him.

“Are you ready to try to come back, love?”

**I’ve gotta be honest – I’m really not.**

“I know, but the longer you wait, the harder it’ll be. I promise you, you want to do it as soon as possible.”

**I trust you. Just… talk me through it, okay?**

“Alright, Ry. First, clear your mind. It’ll be harder if you’re thinking about anything other than the transformation.” He glanced at the cat who closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding once. “Okay, now focus on my voice and on your breathing. My voice will keep you tethered to reality so you don’t slip off into space. You need to keep your breathing steady because your body will need a lot of oxygen to help fight the muscle pain. Something about lactic acid and all that. Alright, it looks like you’ve got that under control. Next step: imagine a ball of bright energy. Got it? Now make that energy into a tiny little pin prick. Look how bloody small that shite is, Rye! It's so tiny! Now centre it in your chest. Put it right there in the middle of your chest. Nod when it’s there.” A small nod. “Now slowly, as slowly as you can handle, start expanding it. Let it fill your current body. Feel it press against your edges. Once it’s expanded as far as possible, try to push even further. This is when the pain will probably start, but I’ll be right here. Focus on my voice while you shape the energy back into your human form. Just listen to me, love. I’m here and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Ryan was starting to release pained squeaks, each growing in intensity as his body began to rearrange itself, the acidic burn setting deep into his muscles, tearing at the fibres that once held his structure together. As much as Gavin wanted to reach out and kiss away the pain, he knew that interfering at this point could potentially wreck his boyfriend, so he settled for maintaining a constant stream of speech while opening the connection with Dan, typing a fast  _dont make a single noise until i say its okay, b_  before enabling his webcam and unmuting the speakers. Dan’s worried face popped up on the screen, poised to ask one of the hundred questions he had before abruptly snapping his mouth closed when he spotted Ryan’s shifting form.

“Okay, love, you’re almost there. You can do it, Ryan. You’re so strong and I’m so proud of you. Keep breathing. It’s almost over.”

With a final blood-curdling scream, Ryan’s body finally reached its original shape, only his tail and ears remaining. His breathing was extremely laboured, and Gavin could tell he was trying to figure out how to finish his transformation despite his swimming mind and the unshakeable feeling that every single bone is his body might've just shattered.

“Rye, Ryan,” Gavin finally spoke, shaking the other man with each syllable, trying to attract his boyfriend’s attention over the cloud of agony that had no doubt completely engulfed his brain by now. “ ** _James Ryan Haywood_** ,” he practically growled. The Gent’s eyes snapped opened, pained but definitely full of enough awareness to signal to the lad that he was able to understand his words again. “Okay, you can either take the light and compact it back into the pin point to make the rest of your features retreat, but that’ll probably hurt, too. I suggest you just release the energy right now and leave them out for the time being, okay?” Another stiff nod. Gavin kissed Ryan delicately and then knocked their noses together as lightly as he could. “I love you. You’re so bloody strong, Ryan. Now let’s get this mess all figured this out.”

Ryan’s lips parted to speak but only a low, agonised moan fell out. Instead, he settled on pressing his lips together tightly and nodding one final time before facing the laptop screen, eyes locking on to Dan’s.

Gavin watched his boyfriend carefully before licking his lips, clearing his throat, and finally turning to join his boyfriend in facing the other Brit.

“Alright, B. As you may’ve noticed, we may have a bit of a situation and we may need some information…”


	9. Tail Me the Truth and You Better Not Be Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan is smart about something and Ryan still struggles with his new abilities.

Talking to Dan was highly informative but also extremely embarrassing.

* * *

 

“Did you just ask us when we bloody shagged? You have got to be kidding me, B,” Gavin squawked in disbelief at his British friend, absolutely taken aback by his brazen directness.

“It actually does have a link, B. I’m not just being a bloody nosy teen girl for nothing. Look, I’m going to get a little science-y on you here, so just stay with me for a while, okay?”

Both Ryan and Gavin nodded, confusion clouding their eyes.

“Good,” Dan adamantly continued. “Now, have you heard of Punnett Squares? Wonderful, makes this so much easier. Okay, so essentially shifting has a recessive and dominant gene just like most every trait people have. Gav, your parents were both dominant carriers meaning you had no chance of not being a shifter. Because of your strong heritage, you were able to shift from birth. My dad was a dominant carrier and my mom was recessive, meaning I had a fifty-fifty chance of ending up this way. Ryan, one or both of your parents must’ve been recessive. I’m not exactly sure, since I haven’t met them or whatever, but it seems that you’ve fallen into the same luck as me.

“Like I said, Ryan, Gav here had no chance of making it out of his childhood without shifting, but you and I actually had a chance of never shifting our entire lives. The cat generally lies dormant in us until we do something to awaken it. Sometimes it takes a heroic feat, sometimes a lovers’ spat, sometimes wild sex. It’s not an exact science, exactly. Whatever wakes the cat makes the cat, you know? That’s why I asked about the sex.”

Gavin let a startled chuckle slip. “Alright, B. I haven’t heard you sound that bloody brilliant since we shot that video about guns. Looks like someone’s been doing a bit of reading, yeah?”

Both the Brits laughed while Ryan continued to stare blankly at the screen.

“But that was six months ago, Gav,” he all but whispered.

Gavin froze immediately, thankful that his hearing was better than most. “Bloody hell, B. He’s right. Our wild shag was half a damn year ago. Surely he would’ve known before then, yeah?”

“Not necessarily. Ryan, you have pretty good self-control from what I hear, no? You never drink, you immerse yourself in work, you try to find distractions when things are bothering you. Maybe your cat was awake but you just weren’t letting it take control. You said you were having nightmares. Maybe that was the cat’s way of trying to get your attention and get you to shift for the first time. Maybe last night was the first time it was able to make you do just that.”

“That… actually makes sense, Dan,” Ryan sighed, unsure how to take this new information.

“Right, thanks, Dan. I think we should talk about this a little in private. Thank you for telling us what you know, B. I’ll skype you later in the week?”

“Sounds good, B. Good luck, you two. Gav, take care of him.”

And with a click of the mouse, the brown-haired Brit disappeared from the glowing screen.

* * *

 

Ryan didn’t know how to react to learning he was a shifter, so instead he just sat on the couch and stared at the darkened television.

“You know, the telly is usually more interesting when it’s turned on, love,” a soft voice rang from behind him. He didn’t say anything in response, though, so the younger man walked behind the couch and threw his arms around the older’s shoulders, kissing the side of his neck lightly. A stray hand found its way to Ryan’s hair, gently rubbing the golden ear that was partially hidden in his soft locks. “I know it’s a lot to take in, Rye, but it’ll get better, I promise.”

Ryan nodded which ended up making Gavin’s fingers dig deeper against the soft flesh behind his new ear. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine which seemed to rest as a reverberating echo in his ribcage. It all felt so good as he allowed himself to melt into the Brit’s ministrations until a light giggle woke him from his reverie.

“You’re damn purring, Rye,” Gavin cooed, adoration thick in his voice. “So bloody adorable.”

“’M sorry. Feels good.”

“Come here, Ryan. I’ll help you relax,” he held out his hand for the Gent (who more than happily accepted it) before leading them both back to the bedroom. There, he tenderly kissed Ryan’s nose before running both hands through his hair, paying special attention to his ears, lavishing attention on the spots that left the man a whining, quivering mess. Carefully, he reached behind Ryan’s back and wrapped his fingers around the man’s tail, receiving a started yelp in return. “Shhh, love. Just wait. This always feels good to me.”

And before he knew it, the lad’s fingers around his tail had reduced him to nothing more than moaning and meowing and purring and swearing. “Gav, shit. Why does that feel so good? Why does it all feel so good?”

“Cats are very sensitive, Rye-bread. Just another perk… or annoyance, depending on how you look at it, I guess.”

Ryan just purred in response before curling up around Gavin and quickly falling asleep. The Brit sighed contently, deftly turning off the lamp before wrapping his slender arms around the shifter and following him into one of the most satisfying sleeps he’s ever had.

* * *

 

The next morning, Gavin woke up to something tickling his nose. He reflexively sneezed, eyes scrunching tightly before flying open, anxious to see what was tickling him. As soon has his eyes cracked open, he was met with a face full of golden hair adorned with dark, chocolate spots. He was too tired to open his mouth so he simply focused on his breathing instead, quickly passing a message to his boyfriend.

_I take it you had another bad dream then, love?_

**Nah, I just couldn’t get these damn _things_ to go away so I figured it would be more normal for someone to see you sleeping with a cat than with a fucked up hybrid if they looked through the window.** The cat motioned to the open window across the room. Unfiltered sunlight was just starting to pour in since neither man had thought to pull the drapes closed last night.

_Christ, the sun is hardly even up, Rye. What bloody time is it?_

**Probably around quarter to six?** The feline seemed to shrug while glancing away nervously. **You can go back to sleep for another hour if you want, Gav.**

 _Nah, I can tell you’re not going back to sleep any time soon, so I’ll just go ahead and get up. Do you want to shift back and come take a shower with me?_ The man sleepily bumped his nose against the Savannah Cat’s, eliciting a happy chirping from the animal.

 **Uh, yeah. Hold on.** Closing his eyes, Ryan focused on building up the light inside himself, shrinking it down, and forcing it to explode outwards. Gavin blinked rapidly, unsure how the man in front of him had managed to change so quickly, especially considering it was only his second day of harnessing his new power. True to his word, though, the stubborn ears and tail remained.

“What? How did you—“ the Brit choked out, rubbing his eyes like perhaps it was simply just a trick of his mind. Sure, the man hadn’t mastered the sheathing of his last feline features but the speed at which he did the majority of the shift was dizzying.

“Yeeaaaah,” Ryan drawled, “I may have spent most of last night practicing?” A sheepish grin adorned his face but Gav just leaned forward to kiss it off.

“Come on then, you mong. My shoulders are stiffer than nobs and there’s a bloody crick in my neck that I just can’t get rid of, but I’m sure you would know just how to fix that” he purred into his lover’s ear before mischievously nipping it. Ryan growled back playfully before lifting the lad off his feet and carrying him to the bathroom. They both gracefully stripped before Ryan started twisting the handles of the shower to find that perfect temperature that always managed to relax Gavin in a matter of seconds.

As the men waited for the shower to reach the ideal temperature, the elder of the two placed his broad hands on the younger’s shoulders, kissing him twice between his shoulder blades before applying generous pressure to the tensest places. A gasp slipped from Gavin’s lips, followed by an unmasked moan that was absolutely sinful. Ryan placed strategic kisses up and down Gav’s neck, biting every so often only to soothe the sharp pain with even sweeter kisses. In a matter of seconds, the lad had become a shivering mess, desperate to kiss the man behind him (and maybe more if he would be willing). Ryan caught the shift in the atmosphere immediately, sniffing faintly at the air. He must’ve picked up on the pheromones Gavin was rapidly secreting because his icy blue eyes quickly flashed into a deep black as they blew wide with lust. He licked his lips and bared his teeth in a predatory smile before pushing the Brit into the shower and against the wall.

“Rye, please,” Gavin finally gasped. “Please, I need you.

 **Mine.**  The ocean-lined eyes scanned similarly wide hazel ones before squeezing closed. Ryan crushed his lips against the other man’s, biting at his lower lip and sliding a hand between his legs. Gavin let out a choked meow before purring with more fervour than ever. Ryan’s tail twisted possessively around the Brit’s waist while his hands buried themselves in his water-logged hair. Both men had a terrifying glint in their eyes as they continued to sink their teeth into sensitive spots, causing feral growls and pleasured moans to reverberate throughout the tiled bathroom.

* * *

 

After three rounds in the shower ( **Seriously, Gavin, how horny can you possibly be. You just came twice in a row and your legs are shaking. We’re gonna miss work if you keep this up.** _But Ryyyyyaaaann, I want you to fuck me again!_ **Later, okay? Seriously, you’re the one who signed me up for additional work. I expect help on that by the way.** _Bullocks_.), the two men made their way back to the bedroom to get dressed for the day. Ryan tried (and failed) several times to pull back his ears and tail, only to give up with a frustrated grunt, slamming his face into the pile of pillows next to him.

“I can’t do it, Gav. I’ve tried everything. I’m too tense and too new and I can’t control it,” the gent huffed, unhappy with his sudden loss of control.

“It’s okay, love. We can just tuck them away if you like. No one will notice them at all under a cheeky little beanie, yeah?” Gavin cooed softly, handing him his favourite Achievement Hunter hat. Ryan accepted it hesitantly, eying it suspiciously before folding back his ears and slipping the familiar fabric over his head. “There! It’s like they never existed, innit?” A slight ripple passed through the fabric as the shifter’s ears shifted uncomfortably in response. “Okay, perhaps never is a generous term. But you still look lovely, my lovely little Ryan.” Gavin bumped his nose against his boyfriend’s before turning around and getting dressed himself.

“Okay, so as long as I keep my ears relatively still, they’ll be fine. What about my tail?” Ryan asked, bringing his tail up and swishing it back and forth before letting it rest in a question-mark-shaped curve.

“Well, you usually wear those damn dad jeans, right? They should be loose enough to hide your tail. You just can’t swing it around like a mentalist like you’ve been doing.”

The dirty blond nodded before finding his loosest pair of jeans and sliding them on. His tail felt very cramped, and it was nearly impossible to keep it still in the cramped environment. He let out another exasperated groan before yanking his tail out of the denim prison and letting it swing lazily back and forth.

“Rye, you know you’ve gotta keep that hidden somehow. Would it help if I made a Velcro holder for it or something? We could just strap it against your leg so you can’t twitch it. It’ll be more uncomfortable but a million times more effective.”

After a few grumbles and curses, Ryan agreed, sending Gavin to go digging through the closet for a strip of Velcro he had been saving for one of Meg’s costumes. _Eh, I’ll just buy her more later. Halloween is still two weeks away, anyways_. He waited as Ryan pulled down his pants again and let his tail hang limply behind him. Gavin aligned the tender appendage as best as he could before wrapping the loops of Velcro around the leg and tail, tight enough to assure there would be no suspicious movements but not so much that it would cut off circulation or cause any lasting damage.

While the younger man worked, deft fingers dancing along freshly-washed skin, Ryan pulled out his phone to check his messages.

_\-----_

_From: Geoff “Lazer” Ramsey_

_Hey, asshole. You better be coming in to work today. Gav signed you up for extra work and I need that shit done like yesterday._

_\-----_

_From: Jack Patillo_

_Hey, buddy! Just checking in to make sure everything’s okay! Geoff and Gav seemed really worked up yesterday. We missed you! I hope you’re coming in today!_

_\-----_

_From: Michael Jones_

_You better be coming in today, bitch, or else you’re gonna learn a brand new meaning of pain. Gav was fucking unbearable without you._

_\-----_

_From: Ray Narvaez, Jr._

_The next time you take the day off to smoke that dank herb and jerk off, you gotta let me know, Rye. I can’t believe you’d leave me hanging like that. </3_

\-----

Ryan shook his head with a slight giggle before locking his phone and looking down to examine Gavin’s work. His tail was pulling lightly at its confines but other than that it seemed rather secure and – more importantly – rather hidden. He pulled up his pants and placed a long, loving kiss on Gav’s lips before grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys before grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and leading him to the car.

* * *

 

Work went rather smoothly, and Gavin had actually managed to help Ryan coax his tail and ears back in during lunch. Ryan sighed when he pulled off the Velcro loops and carded a hand through his golden hair. Though it felt good not to have to hide his feline features, he couldn’t shake the feeling like his cat was just dying to escape again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: christ, i finally reposted it all. i'm super sorry about that, you guys. i promise i'll have the ending out soon enough (provided i don't accidentally DELETE EVERYTHING AGAIN)  
> anyways, enjoy.


	10. I'd Purrfur to Furget This Meowment Furefur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Activating beast mode.

Ryan was just waiting for disaster. He had gone on to film The Patch and dragged a slightly grumpy V along with him. It wasn’t that Gavin didn’t want to be with Ryan – honestly, Gavin would do just about anything for his boyfriend – he just didn’t want to raise any more suspicion. But Ryan had been sending frantic messages through the mental link since he had successfully concealed his ears and tail. It seemed like the gent thought he was going to burst at any minute.

Gus put up a bit of a fight when Ryan showed up with the now-purring Maine Coon, but Meg was so delighted to see the little fuzzball that he eventually relented. V sat around Ryan’s shoulders like usual, nuzzling his neck and purring softly. Since his face was pressed against Ryan’s pulse point, he was able to tell when the man started to freak out. He would purr louder, nudge his nose against the thrumming heartbeat, and start chanting a calming litany of _relax, love, relax_.

The hour dragged on slowly. Ryan had taken to nervously tangling his fingers in the cat’s wild mane and sounding a little hysterical when he laughed at his co-hosts’ jokes. But eventually the hourglass ran out of sand and Gus wrapped up the podcast. As soon as the cameras turned off, Ryan mumbled some sort of flustered farewell before nearly sprinting from the set.

He found his way to the bathroom, locking the door behind him and immediately sliding down to the floor. Gavin had jumped from his shoulders and shifted back to his human form, carding slender fingers through gravity-defying hair before letting himself collapse next to Ryan.

“Do you want to talk about it, then?”

Ryan stared at the Brit with crazed eyes, a panicked noise bubbling in his throat. Suddenly, eyes snapped closed and his head flung backwards, colliding with the wall with a sharp thud. Instantly his form began to shift, the well-built man condensing into a feline form. Gavin stared in utter disbelief at the sleeping cat. He gently nudged the unconscious animal, whining when he didn’t stir at all.

“Hey, asshole. Some of us are about to fucking shit ourselves. Hurry it the fuck up in there,” Geoff tiredly creaked.

“Sorry, boss. I’ll be right out,” Gavin immediately responded, mentally kicking himself for agreeing to relinquish this safe space without any thought. He sighed and picked up the limp cat, cradling him cautiously against his chest. He unlocked the door and sidestepped Geoff, ignoring the man’s questioning gaze.

Once he returned to the office, he picked up one of the pillow blocks from their Tower of Pimps and set it on his desk before carefully setting Ryan down on top of it. He glanced down at the bag he had left at his feet, fingers itching to adorn Ryan with the gift he had gotten made a while back. Inhaling sharply, he leaned down and opened his bag slowly, hands wrapping around the white box that had been delicately placed inside a few weeks ago.

He popped open the lid and took out the delicate collar. It was made of black suede on the inside while a strip of red plaid lined the outside. A bell and a Rooster Teeth medallion hung from the silver loop in the front. He had seen Ryan eyeing his own collar a month or two ago. Gavin had taken to keeping it on around the house from time to time, and they had definitely incorporated it into bedroom play on several occasions. So when Ryan seemed to stare longingly at the leather adorning Gavin’s neck, the Brit immediately set out to design his boyfriend the most perfect collar he could imagine. They had long since had numerous conversations about what Ryan would want to be called if he were a cat ( _what a bloody coincidence_ ), so Gavin had gone ahead and gotten the back of their respective medallions engraved with their feline names, their home address, and a contact phone number in case they got lost. Honestly, it was all mostly for looks and the tiniest bit of a safety precaution since both of them could hypothetically just shift back if they ever got lost or catnapped.

He let his fingertips run over the sharp engraved “Junior” standing out against the shiny silver background. A light smile passed over his lips. He remembered the conversation well. Gavin had been pestering Ryan with hypothetical questions all day, but Ryan had been a good sport about it all. When the lad asked him what he would want to go by if he ever were a cat, Ryan didn’t automatically respond like he usually did. Instead, when Gavin turned to face him, Ryan was deep in thought. **Junior** , he decided after a minute. _Junior?_ He had asked, stunned that he had a) entertained the thought at all and b) chosen something like Junior. **Yeah. It’s my first two initials: JR. I mean, you go by V because of your nickname, Vav, right?** _Yeah, but before that I went by B because of Dan. But once I came to the States, it didn’t feel right anymore. So I clung to one of my first real nicknames here._ **Then I want to stick with my name, too. But calling me Ryan might be a little suspicious. And JR sounds stupid since it’s the abbreviation for Junior. So why wouldn’t I just go by Junior?** And that had been the end of the conversation.

Gavin’s hands shook slightly as he leaned forward to thread the end of the collar through the buckle. He secured it so it still hung loose enough that it wouldn’t choke the man when he finally shifted back. It looked damn good on him, Gavin had to admit. Maybe a little too good… His morning heat had started to return when he heard someone violently fling open the door. Michael and Geoff came walking in, bickering playfully about something, Ray bouncing excitedly behind them. Ray immediately noticed Junior sleeping on the desk, eyes lighting up and a totally manly squeal pealing from his lips.  

“Kitty!!” He crossed the office in three large bounds before pressing his nose into Junior’s golden coat. “Kitty kitty kitty kiiiitttttty!”

Gavin laughed before correcting Ray. “His name is Junior, Ray.”

“You too, dude? Juniors unite!” the Puerto Rican yelled while pumping his fist into the air.

Ryan _no Junior, keep it bloody together, Gav_ stirred due to Ray’s loud and highly tactile interruption. His blue eyes cracked open groggily, mouth opening slightly to let out a faint meow. He glanced back at Gavin who nodded encouragingly, before leaning up to nuzzle against Ray’s smiling face.

“Alright, glad to see that your god damn cat is back, Gavvers, but we really need to film this Let’s Play. Go find Ryan so we can get this over with. I want to go the fuck home,” his boss grumbled, exhaustion and annoyance pulling slightly at his eyebrows. Gavin numbly nodded and then scooped up the dazed cat and left the office as quickly as he could. He scanned the surrounding area before locating an empty closet, hastily opening the door and cramming himself and the feline inside of it.

“Okay, Rye. We don’t have a choice. You’ve got to come back, and you’ve got to come back right now,” Gavin’s usually tanned face had turned unnaturally pale and Ryan tilted his head in confusion.

_Love, you need to change back. Please, I’m begging you. You’ve got to fight it._

The cat shivered but nodded, closing his tired eyes and feeling the energy expand. When he opened his eyes, he saw hazel ones staring back raptly, scanning the man to check for any injuries or obvious discomfort.

“I- I think I’m okay, Gav. Let’s go film now, okay?” Ryan croaked painfully.

Gavin eyed him suspiciously but ultimately grunted in agreement before standing up and offering a hand to the man still on the floor. His eyes locked on the collar around his boyfriend’s neck, suddenly extremely embarrassed that he had put it on without permission. He cleared his throat, motioning to the leather that was now terribly out of place. Ryan let one eyebrow arch up in curiosity before lightly pressing a hand to where the lad was gesturing. The other eyebrow show up in surprise as well as his brought both hands up to undo the buckle at the base of his throat. Once it was removed, he reverently let his fingers trace over the soft material before bringing his gaze up to meet the Brit’s.

“I, uh, I can explain, Ryan. I thought that you wou-…“ the lad stammered, words beginning to pour out in the constant flow that was typical when his nerves gripped at his heart.

“I love it.”

“-ld want one since I had seen the way you had been looking at min—wait, what?”

“I said, I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you, Gavin.” The gent leaned forward and kissed him sweetly before reaching behind him to open the bathroom door. “Now come on, we have a Let’s Play to film.” Tucking the collar into his back pocket, he followed his boyfriend who was now leaping down the hallway.

* * *

 

“LLLLLLLLLLET’S PLAY!” Ray shouted from his desk.

It was just a normal GTA V Let’s Play, the men all messing around with some vague goal in mind but ultimately free to roam and fuck shit up. Ryan was relaxed and joking with the other guys, Gavin shooting him loving glances from across the room. Everything was going well.

Well, it _was_ going well, until Gavin decided to fuck up whatever Michael had just spent the last twenty minutes trying to do. Honestly, it could’ve very well been an accident but it was often hard to tell with Gavin.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Gavin. You’re such a goddamned idiot. You’re a fucking piece of shit. I don’t know how Ryan even puts up with you. You’re a fucking prick and a waste of our company’s resources.” Michael’s usual playful tone was completely absent, vinegar and venom filling every word. The pain on Gavin’s face was so clear that you could probably see it all the way from England right now. “I’m serious. I don’t want to be in any videos with you for a long time, you pissy little bitch.” Michael had stood up and was now looming menacingly over Gavin. His face was dark red, anger and volume climbing higher with each word. The Brit was curled up in his chair, controller long forgotten. The other men in the room just stared in incredulous silence.

Before Ryan could stop himself, he had already thrown himself the five steps between their desks, grabbing the oldest lad by the collar and throwing him against the wall. The growl that ripped from his chest was nearly deafening, and Michael winced a bit as it reached his ears. Ryan could feel himself losing control quickly, but seeing Gavin so vulnerable (especially at the hands of his boi) had set off every protective fibre in his being. A sharp pain rippled through the gent’s body as he felt long, cold claws begin to slide out of his fingers. He knew by Michael’s rapidly shifting breathing that his ears and his tail had also emerged, meaning Ryan was standing half-shifted in the middle of the AH office with four disbelieving men staring at him.

“Ryan! Stop it! You have to calm down before you do something you regret, love!” a pained cry came from his left. He looked over at the terror in Gavin’s eyes. A wave of ice rushed through him as he dropped to the floor, feeling the fire from his anger shift into the newly familiar light and shoving him down into darkness. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness completely took over was one face lined with love and concern and four alight with something akin to confusion and horror.


	11. Ain't No Meowtain High, Ain't No Valley Leo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the Achievement Hunters react and Ryan has a brilliant new idea for Rooster Teeth's future business ventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: do you think i can make it to the end of the story with out bloody deleting it again? i'm gonna go ahead and bet $25 that i can't. 
> 
> anyways, as always, enjoy, and feel free to talk to me any time!! (or stalk me at luchemuffin.tumblr.com)

Michael stood frozen against the wall. His eyes were wider than Gavin had ever seen them, and had the circumstances been different, the Brit would’ve found the look of horror on the Jersey man’s face absolutely hysterical.

But right now, Gavin simply walked over to where the collar had slipped from Ryan’s back pocket in his enraged lunge across the office. He leaned down to retrieve it before walking over to his now unconscious boyfriend. Lifting him up gently, he sat down on the couch before securing the band of suede around the cat’s neck. Cradling the sleeping feline to his chest, he bumped his nose against the cat’s before sighing and meeting the other four men’s gazes.

“I can’t bloody believe you, Michael,” he started, disappointment clouding his typically shiny hazel eyes. “Of all the days to lose your fat Jersey bitch mind, you had to choose today.” The middle lad shook his head sadly before glancing back down at his boyfriend’s lithe form. He smoothed a careful hand over the cat’s soft face, worry quickly filling in the creases of his own weary face.

“I, he’s, how, what, I…” the eldest lad choked out. “He’s, h-h-he’s a- What the FUCK just happened?”

The other two gents had yet to speak up, and Ray’s eyes were almost as wide as Michael’s but his breathing was about three times as fast.

“He’s new to this,” Gavin finally sighed, realising his boyfriend wasn’t waking up any time soon and that he would have to explain this one all by himself. “Like, ‘oh bugger me I just found out that I’m a shifter yesterday in a terrible way that included me transforming in the middle of the night and making a mess of my house and then sprinting to the office, only to curl up in my chair and shake like a right lunatic before my boyfriend came to get me’ kind of new.”

An odd mixture of confusion and sudden understanding washed over the remaining men in the room, hitting them at different moments. Gavin waited patiently for when he thought pretty much everyone had caught up as much as they could.

“Right then. So, I guess basically all I have to say is that we shifters can sometimes have difficulty controlling the transformation when we feel personally threatened or that our partner is being threatened,” the Brit flashed a pair of furious eyes at the curly-haired man still pressed against the wall, “and shit like this happens that we have no bloody control over. And since he’s still so new to it and he wasn’t born straight into it, he’s having even more trouble controlling it. But we’ve talked about it and I’ve been trying to help him control it and I would really appreciate it if you guys would back the hell off as soon as he wakes up so I can do my best to fix this bloody mess, yeah?”

There was silence for a moment as the guys all glanced at each other nervously. It was obvious that they all had something to say but no one had the balls to voice the thought. Gavin tried to ignore the silent conversation in front of them, instead fixing his eyes on his now shivering boyfriend. He pulled Junior – _Ryan_ – more tightly to him, attempting to send loving thoughts through the link. He knew the shaking animal wouldn’t be able to hear him, but if he were going to be honest, the action was probably more for his own sake than for his partner’s.

The men must’ve finally decided who was going to be the spokesperson because Ray cleared his throat and took a step forward. Gavin’s head snapped up, eyes training wearily on the fidgeting lad in front of him.

“Uh, Vav, you, uh, you said, uh, you said…” Ray began, not sure how to force his lips to shape the words that he wanted to say.

“Christ, Ray, just ask me the damn question.”

“You said _we_.”

Gavin froze, the sigh he had started catching in his chest. He coughed harshly at being caught so off-guard. Jack came over and patted Gavin a few times on the back while Geoff offered him a bottle of water. Gavin took the water and gulped it down greedily before turning back to Geoff with a thankful expression. Geoff nodded at the boy before stepping back, giving Gavin more than enough personal space.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t really mean to say that, but yeah. We. We’re both shifters. We’re both cats.” With trembling fingers, he retrieved his collar from his front pocket and deftly fastened the buckle around his own neck. He then focused his energy, but only partially, allowing his ears to cautiously poke out of his messy bedhead and his tail to swing lazily in the air behind him. He nuzzled Ryan reassuringly when the cat responded to the presence of his feline companion but quickly returned his focus to the four people in front of him who were once again rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

“Swiss fucking cheese,” Michael finally breathed out, the usual vinegar completely absent in his voice.

“You’re V and he’s Junior,” Ray finally spoke and Gavin swore he could hear the gears whirring away underneath the messy mop of dark hair. “You’re cats. You’ve been a cat for a really long time. That’s why you were never around when V was here. That’s why Ryan was missing yesterday.”

“Someone hand this kid a bloody medal,” Gavin growled, but he relaxed his hostile expression when he saw the unconcealed awe on the other Hunters’ faces.

“This is so goddamned cool,” Jack finally cheered. “We have two office cats!”

“Yeah, two office cats who frequently stick their dicks in each other,” Geoff croaked, obviously uncomfortable with that new train of thought.

“Geoff,” Gavin groaned, face turning a deep shade of crimson, “please don’t bloody well start this here. I don’t want Rye to wake up to—“

As if on cue, the Savannah cat began to stir, bright, ocean-filled eyes cracking open as the four men rushed forward to meet their friend.

* * *

His head was pounding and he couldn’t shake the feeling of having five pairs of eyes staring at him.

**Ugh, Gavin, what the fuck is happening?**

“You attacked Michael and then you unexpectedly shifted and then passed out and then I, uh, explained some things,” the Brit motioned to the ears peeking out of his fluffy locks, “and then you must’ve sensed that that I shifted and you woke up and now we’re here.”

 **You mean I…** The thought trailed off as he flung his head around, finally understanding that there were five pairs of eyes staring at him.

“Yeah, they know, love.”

**And they haven’t killed us.**

“They’re not going to. I think that it’ll be fine once this all settles down.”

A cough echoed through the room and both shifters swung their gaze over to the source of the noise.

“I don’t mean to pry, but I can’t help but notice that you’re talking to a cat. Like, conversing with a cat. Like having a one-sided conversation with a cat.” Auburn curls shook with clear nervousness, not quite comfortable with the display in front of him.

“It’s, uh. Apparently some sort of shifter-mate thing? We can… communicate? Without talking?” Gavin murmured, eyes locking onto his boyfriend’s. Their noses bumped again and Gavin felt his ears flick happily while he allowed a small smile to grace his face.

Suddenly the other two lads were giggling hysterically. Their faces were red from trying to contain their laughter, but they simply couldn’t quell the noise as the giggles rippled through their bodies, each stronger than the last.

“What are you pricks laughing at now?” Gavin spat, still not completely cooled down from everything that just played out.

“I just,” Ray panted through his slowing giggling, “I never knew how right we’d be with ‘Ryan the Animal Guy’, ya know?”

Gavin allowed himself a surprised chuckle at the realisation as well. From the rhythmic shaking in his lap, he assumed that Ryan found some humour in the statement as well. The room suddenly filled with swells of laughter again, the intensity of the situation now easily dispelled. For the rest of the day, the Hunters all ignored their duties in lieu of sitting around the two shifters on the couch, asking them any question that popped into their ( _bloody creative and slightly mental_ ) minds.

* * *

After the guys wore out every possible enquiry imaginable ( **and a few that weren’t, seriously, these guys were fucked up** ), Ryan languidly stretched out on Gavin’s lap while the rest of the crew packed up for the evening. He could tell that Gavin was tired as well and would probably want to go home soon. He focused his energy as tightly as he could and let it explode outward, the unique combination of **Oh God, did someone replace my blood with acid** and **Jesus Christ, I may have just jizzed my pants** swirling around in his head. He still wasn’t used to the strange juxtaposition of the two sensations, but he allowed them to wash over his mind more easily, letting the change take over.

Jack turned around to ask Gavin if he and Ryan would need a ride and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the golden-haired man lounging lazily in the lad’s lap. Ryan donned his famous diabolical grin and Jack just shook his head.

Ryan had to admit that he was really surprised by how accepting his co-workers had been. Granted, he knew that Geoff was like Gavin’s dad and Michael was the lad’s boi, so at least two of them had to accept the Brit no matter what. But that didn’t mean that their kindness had to extend to Ryan as well, nor that the other two men needed to afford them both such sympathy. However, he figured he probably shouldn’t dwell on it, since he was damn lucky that he happened to work with five of the greatest people on this planet (and be dating arguably the best of them all).

The couple had finally saved their projects and shut down their computers, Ryan wandering over to Gavin’s desk once he was ready to leave. Gavin and Michael were speaking in hushed tones, and the gent hesitated for a moment before thinking **eh, fuck it** and joining the conversation anyway. He kissed the top of the younger of the two’s head and threw two limp arms around his neck. The man looked up at him with a worried look on his face, but Ryan’s goofy smile soon wiped it away.

“Michael and I were just having a little talk. He wanted to say something to you, Rye-bread.” The lilting English accent pulled Ryan away from his thoughts and forced him to focus on the typically hot-headed man in front of them.

“Look, Rye, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to say those things to Gav, you know? He’s my boi and I didn’t really mean it. You two are perfect together. Christ, I didn’t know what you two were dealing with, and I definitely wouldn’t’ve been such a bitch earlier if I had had any fucking idea.” Michael tried to display an air of indifference, but Ryan could see just how upset he was about everything that happened.

“I get it, Michael. It’s not every day you find out that two of your co-workers are also cats. That’s pretty fucked up. But don’t think that you need to walk on eggshells around us. I’m working on controlling it, and now that I’m free to shift whenever I need, it shouldn’t be too big of an issue. So, just keep being there for little Gavvy here, and we’ll be good, yeah?” Ryan’s chest rumbled as he spoke, and Gavin leaned his sensitive ears closer to the man in order to feel the vibrations more clearly.

Michael nodded before letting out a light, seemingly contented sigh. “As long as you guys promise to keep your cat forms every once in a while. Your kitten-like antics have done a lot to help cheer us all up.”

The two shifters exchanged a curious look before hurriedly agreeing, happy that they could continue their usual schedule. They could appear more on camera now, probably, since the other men would be more comfortable with the felines, and maybe they could introduce them to the fans to get them to stop leaving comments on their videos begging to see more of the cats that seemed to have moved into the office.

Their co-workers ( ** _no, their friends_** ) accepted them for who they were and wanted them to continue to show this side of their life around the office. Gavin met Ryan’s gaze with hazel eyes that were shining so brightly, Ryan wondered how he hadn’t gone blind yet. The couple headed toward their car, hands clasped tightly together, lovingly discussing their evening plans.

* * *

 

Whatever plans they had originally settled on came to a screeching halt just outside their neighbourhood. As Ryan flicked on his blinker, he noticed a small, grey pile huddled under a half-dead bush. He immediately pulled over to the side of the road (after making the turn into their neighbourhood, of course. He would never dream of stopping on the side of an incredibly busy road. He might be hailed as the Mad King, but he wasn’t actually that crazy) and turned off the engine. Gavin shot him a questioning look before following Ryan’s gaze.

Slowly, the gent pushed open his door and walked over to the shivering heap on the ground. When he was close enough, he could make out two minuscule triangles peeking up from the furry mass. Crouching down and crawling part of the way under the bush, he scooped up the shadowed shape, lifting it to his eyes to examine it better.

It was a tiny kitten, probably no more than two months old. This cat had no business being out here by itself, trembling alone under a dying shrub. Gavin had since joined him, cooing when he saw the tiny face scrunched up. He begged Ryan to let him hold the little kitten, his protective instincts flaring up the minute his fingers met the silky coat.

“Rye, we can’t just leave the little kit here, yeah?” Gavin practically cried, desperation edging into his tired voice.

“Gavin, this cat might belong to someone. We can’t just kidnap her!” Ryan shook his head solemnly, instincts also peaking when he saw how vulnerable the kitten was.

“Can’t we give her a warm bed for the night? We can put up signs and talk to folks around town to see if anyone knows who she could belong to!”

Ryan sighed, knowing he had lost this fight the moment he had pulled over. He really hoped that Rooster Teeth was looking to expand their company. After all, he silently reasoned, Rooster Teeth Gaming, Entertainment, and Cat Sanctuary did have kind of a nice ring to it.


	12. Can You Help Meow-t?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cats. so many cats. cats on cats on cats on cats.

“Okay, well, how about Bella?” Ryan asked, holding the kitten in the air while carefully studying her for any injuries. They had driven straight home, fed her some cat food, and had collapsed together on the couch to name the newest addition to their family.

“Nah, Risinger’s dog is named Bella. How about something like… Gworb?” Gavin’s head shifted in the gent’s lap as he looked up with curious eyes.

“No,” Ryan stated flatly. “Absolutely not. We are not naming her after that alien you and Michael operated on.”

Gavin whined but didn’t show any further signs of protest. Ryan smiled down at the man before lowering the kitten down. Gavin squealed in delight as he felt the kitten’s tiny paws land in the center of his chest, and his hands quickly wound themselves into the short, fluffy fur.

“Olive,” the older man finally said.

Gavin gagged. “Olives are absolutely mingin’, Rye.”

“We can call her Ollie for short.”

The Brit seemed to ponder it for a while, watching the battle between his own touchy gag reflex and Ryan’s obvious attachment to the name. Fortunately for Ryan, Gavin decided to let his disgust of the food take the backseat this time. “Yeah, Olive. I like that.”

Both men knocked their noses against the little cat’s, extending their sign of affection to their new pet. Olive meowed timidly but looked otherwise pleased at the men’s actions.

“Do you think she can tell that we’re cats?” Gav wondered out loud, glancing between the members his new family.

“I… I actually don’t know. We could maybe show her? What do you think?” Ryan placed a hand on his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. “I mean, we might be able to take care of her better as cats. I mean, even at the very least, it might make her more comfortable.”

It took Gavin all but a few seconds to carefully place Olive on the other side of the couch and shift into the familiar Maine Coon that Ryan had come to care so deeply about. The Savannah Cat soon followed, and they both carefully approached the wide-eyed kitten. She sniffed them hesitantly a few times before emitting a happy noise and rubbing her face against them. The three cats curled up on the couch and spent the rest of the night drifting in and out of consciousness.

* * *

When Ryan and Gavin walked into work the next day, their co-workers offered little more than a glance and an unintelligible grunt. However, when they heard a soft meow at the door followed by the sound of a certain miniature ball of grey fluff jump onto Geoff’s desk, the men were all suddenly very interested.

“Uh,” Geoff started, voice cracking with uncertainty. “Do one of you idiots want to explain what’s happening? There’s a cat on my desk. Why is there a cat on my desk?”

Gavin laughed but soon swallowed down the chuckles when he saw the look in his boss’s eyes. “To be fair, Geoffrey, there have been two cats in your office for a very long time.”

Geoff let out a choked groan before rubbing a hand over his weary face. “Okay, asshole, yeah. But this isn’t one of you. And it’s a kitten. So unless you guys kidnapped a child…” There was silence as Gavin and Ryan eyed each other from across the room. “Oh Jesus Dicks, you mother fuckers better not have kidnapped someone’s child! I am not dealing with the police for you idiots. I swear to God, I leave you two alone for five minutes and what do I-“

“Geoff, we did not steal a child,” Ryan assured the man. “We simply found a lost kitten on our way home. We’ll put up posters tonight to see if we can find the owner. Until then, we don’t really feel comfortable leaving Olive by herself.”

Gavin nodded in agreement. “Plus, it’s like we’re daddies now!”

Ryan blushed at that statement and tucked his head a little, nervous that his boyfriend had jumped to that conclusion already. If he were being honest, that had actually been part of the reason he had been so glad that Gav had insisted that they keep the cat, and almost completely the reason he had demanded that they decide a name together. He knew that, biologically speaking, he and Gavin could never – ahem – _produce_ their own child, and sure, adoption was always an option, but this was kind of like a trial run. They could easily take care of the kitten like a child thanks to their second forms. So, yeah, Ryan knew that it was exactly like he and his boyfriend were now **daddies.**

Despite this, though, the man really hoped that the rest of the Hunters hadn’t noticed his red face. If they did, nobody had said anything about it because within seconds Michael had scoffed at his boi and told him that Gavin probably wouldn’t be able to keep a kid alive for a week, which had quickly devolved into a wrestling match in the middle of the office floor while the other men yelled both insults and encouragements.

Ryan just shook his head, eyes tracking Gavin’s lithe body as he struggled against Michael’s playful rage. Olive noticed that one of her new daddies was ‘in trouble’ and quickly joined the fray. She jumped down from Geoff’s desk and effortlessly pounced onto Michael’s face, startling him enough that Gavin was able to get the upper hand. The Brit swiftly pinned his boi to the floor and Olive shifted down his body until she was proudly standing on his chest as if she was the one holding him down. Michael laughed at the two until he finally relented, saying that Gavin would be a great dad to the little cat. Both of them meowed happily in response.

* * *

After the office calmed down, the men had loaded up some terrible game Geoff had decided he wanted to record. Ollie had quickly decided that Ray’s lap was the best real estate in the office and refused to sit anywhere else. Ray had made a huge show about it, complaining loudly when the little cat would seemingly pout when he so much as thought about getting up to go to the bathroom (because holy fuck did he have to piss), but the other men knew that he was more than happy to smother the kitten in love. Ryan and Gavin kept throwing over protective glances, but after Ray assured them a few times (okay, let’s be real, it had been forty-seven times, Michael and Ray had been keeping track with a running tally between their desks), the two new fathers relented and focused on getting ready for the recording.

The day flew by and about an hour before they were about to leave, Ryan excused himself from the office, Olive cradled delicately against his chest. Gavin sent an inquisitive look their way but didn’t say anything about it. The gent hurried to Burnie’s office knocking twice before entering. Burnie looked up from his computer, glad to see Ryan but confused as to why there was a small animal in his arms.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in, Haywood,” the man deadpanned.

Ryan laughed but made sure his boss could see the exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Really funny, Burns. Barbara would be purr-oud.”

It was Burnie’s turn to lightly laugh, but when he was done, he looked a little more serious “What can I do for you, man?”

“Well, I know that we’ve made quite a profit recently,” Ryan started, deciding to try to just jump right into it. “How would you feel about a new business venture?”

The man eyed him suspiciously, computer completely forgotten as his turned to listen to what his employee was suggesting. “Like a new show? Geoff just tried filming a bunch of new programs and we already have RvB and RWBY and more live-action stuff than we can really keep up with.”

“No, not a new show. Not related to video games or the internet or anything, really.”

Burnie’s eyes were squinted so sharply that Ryan actually didn’t know if they could even be considered open anymore. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

Ryan took a deep breath. “Cats.”

“Cats?” the man looked absolutely perplexed. “What the hell do cats have to do with anything?”

Olive started squirming in her dad’s arms, prompting Ryan to carefully set her down on the ground while he sat in the chair across from his boss. “Look, this is really important to me and Gavin and we would be more than willing to help get it started and to look after all of them and to get publicity and to-“

“Is this about what Geoff said happened yesterday?” Burnie interrupted.

Ryan could’ve sworn someone had just replaced his blood with liquid nitrogen. If he moved, he would’ve completely shattered.

“It’s fine, Ryan. I have had my suspicions about Gavin since I brought him here. I’m not going to tell anyone. I know it’s hard for both of you to deal with, and obviously we need to keep this a company secret, but just know that you two are safe with me.” Ryan allowed himself to nod, still unsure about how he felt about Geoff’s sudden need to share everything. “However, I’m still not sure I understand why there’s a cat in my office.” He glanced up at the grimace on Ryan’s face. “Not you, I mean this one.” He motioned toward the kitten that was playfully batting at his shoelaces.

“Gav and I found Olive yesterday on our drive home and I started to think about how much we could help all the cats around Austin. It might be a lot of work, but we could set up a building in the empty space behind the warehouse to be a full-time cat sanctuary. We could run adoptions, post videos online to help publicise both our operations and the cats themselves, and use the adoption fees to help pay for the supplies. We would probably need to hire a few people along the way, maybe make some connections with a vet or two, but imagine the good that would come out of this, Burnie! We might even find another shifter or two and Gavin and I could help them figure everything out and teach them what we know!”

Burnie sighed. “I’ll talk to Matt and Gus about this, okay? I can’t promise anything, but I know how important this is to you two. Plus, this kitten is growing on me. I wouldn’t mind having a few more around.” He had picked up Ollie during Ryan’s pitch and begun stroking her fur and gently playing with her. He laughed when she tumbled over backwards and looked up to meet Ryan’s unsteady gaze. “I mean it, I’ll talk to them as soon as I can. I’ll have to tell them about you and Gavin’s… _condition_ , but other than that, I think they might be easy to convince, as long as you and Gav are serious about helping take care of these monsters.”

Ryan permitted himself to smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Thank you, Burnie. You’re really a great guy.”

Burnie snorted and waved his hand nonchalantly. “You flatter me, Haywood. Now take your child before I steal her away. I’ve got work to do.”

Ryan quickly gathered Olive and rushed out of Burnie’s office, chest bubbling with hope.

* * *

“No bloody way,” Gavin breathed, eyes wide as he stared at the two shivering masses taking shelter under Ryan’s car. “Someone’s having a laugh, love.”

Ryan was also staring in disbelief, arms loose around Ollie. She hopped down and sauntered over to the two furry shapes under the vehicle, meowing at them in interest. One cat lifted his head and meowed back and then nudged his sleeping brother.

“Looks like we just had twins, Gav.” Gavin nearly collapsed in giggles at Ryan’s statement.

* * *

The two quickly decided to name the new additions to their family Ibb and Obb after one of Gav’s favourite episodes of Play Pals. It had taken one pitiful look from Gavin to make up Ryan’s mind, and since then, the five cats had been lounging around the house.

**Hey, Gav, I talked to Burnie today.**

The light brown cat glanced up from where he had been licking Olive’s coat. _Yeah? What about?_

**Well, I had this crazy idea last night that maybe Rooster Teeth could use its internet popularity to help cats get adopted.**

Gavin tilted his head in interest, prompting Ryan to continue.

**I thought that maybe we could use some of the extra cash the company has to set up kind of a cat sanctuary/adoption agency. We could make videos of us playing with the cats so that fans would shut up about not being able to see Junior or V in anything while promoting the adoptable cats.**

_Rye, that’s bloody brilliant! Plus, now we won’t have to run around town putting up flyers to try to find Olive’s owner. We can just make a video and see if anyone answers._

Ryan’s head lowered at that as his ears pushed flat against his head.

_I know, I don’t want her to go, either, but like you said, we don’t want to steal her from anybody!_

**Yeah, I know. But we have a small family here. I don’t want to lose any of that.**

Gavin stood up from where he had been curled around Olive, stretching briefly before walking over to Ryan.

_You’ll always have me, love. But hopefully Burnie will give us the green light and we can make your plan a reality. Think of all the little fluffballs we can give a home to!_

He leaned down to press his nose against the older man’s – er, cat’s? – before curling around him lovingly and burying his nose in the softest fur he knows. Both men fell asleep purring, surrounded by each other and their new family.


	13. And In That Meowment, I Swear We Were Infurnite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can think of this as the e-purr-logue.

A week. It had taken a week of negotiations to get everyone on board. But in the end, everyone had agreed. Ryan could hardly contain his excitement as Burnie told him the news, and he all but sprinted down the hallway to tell his boyfriend.

“They said yes!” he exclaimed, panting lightly as he threw open the door.

The five men in the office looked up at him as if he were speaking gibberish. He guessed that since they had no context, he kind of was.

“Who said yes? Did you just ask multiple people to marry you?” Ray drawled, amused at Ryan’s utter elation.

Gavin, on the other hand, had already jumped up from his chair and thrown himself into the gent’s arms. Ryan spun them around in glee before bumping their noses together.

“I can’t wait! This is going to be tippy toppers, Rye! Think of all the kitties we’ll be able to help!”

As if on cue, their three kittens came running over to join the jubilee, meowing and chirping with enthusiasm at seeing their dads so blissful. The five cats continued to dance around together, much to the enjoyment of the four men sitting around the room. Michael and Ray were exchanging some witty banter about how absurd the scene was, but neither shifter could find it in their hearts to care. Instead, they swapped chaste kisses and eagerly started throwing ideas back and forth about their new project.

Exactly one month later, the first video was posted. True to their word, Junior and V were the stars, playfully romping around on the newly purchased equipment. Tons of members of Rooster Teeth were there help, providing the two shifters with everything they had asked for beforehand. The meeting where they had to inform (and then prove to) the entire staff that they were both the cats that had been previously spotted around the office had been excruciatingly awkward, but they both had to admit that the entirety of Rooster Teeth had been nothing but supportive.

Now, as the first video came out on the recently published **Rooster Teeth Cat Sanctuary** YouTube channel, Ryan and Gavin sat curled up on the couch in the office, eyes glued to the video’s view count. They had already reached over five thousand views in the span of ten minutes, something they never thought possible. Comments were pouring in, questions about when there would be any adoptable cats, demands to see _even more_ of the two in the video, and (arguably most importantly of all) requests for a link for out-of-area fans’ donations.

The men were wrapped up in each other, surrounded by Olive and Ibb and Obb. The five were purring loudly enough that Jack had jokingly asked Geoff if he had happened to have left his car running in the office.

* * *

The first cat was adopted two weeks later. She had been another stray that Kara had found behind the building, a calico cat that only had three legs. The two shifters had taken to lovingly calling her C3PurrO, Ceci for short. Everyone was nervous that it might be extremely challenging to get a ‘damaged’ cat adopted, but thanks to the playfulness of V and Junior in their promotional video with Ceci, they showed the audience that the number of appendages a cat has is not indicative of how perfect they can be. So when a young man with a noticeable limp walked in to adopt her, they weren’t entirely surprised. They soon learnt that the man had recently left the military after losing a leg during his last tour. He said that he had been a huge fan of Rooster Teeth growing up and had watched a lot of the shows when he had free time and an internet connection overseas. He had been keeping up with the RTCS (as it had been lovingly dubbed by the fan in the past two weeks) channel and had just watched Ceci’s video while waiting for his physical therapy session that day. After his exercises, he came straight to the sanctuary to adopt the cat.

“She’s just like me. She understands.” That was all he would say on the matter, but the Rooster Teeth crew didn’t care. They knew Ceci would be going to a great home, and they were more than pleasantly surprised when the man handed over more than five times the adoption fee they asked for. “You’re doing something special here. Keep it up.” And with that, he and his new pet walked out the door.

* * *

A little over a year after the cat sanctuary had been established, Ryan found himself pacing the perimeter of the building. He stopped to pet the cats that came up to rub against him as he passed, but his mind continued to race.

He and Gavin had been together for two years now. Their life had been quite interesting so far. Sure, they had had their fair share of arguments, usually over silly things, none of them ever too damaging. Gavin had gotten jealous when Ryan had been helping train a new employee, and in turn, Ryan had been livid when he heard that Gavin had bought tickets to England without telling him first. But they had worked through it and come out stronger because of it.

Still, Ryan was as nervous as he had ever been in his entire life. He had been an actor, for God sakes, he had tried to reason with himself, but he knew this wasn’t the same.

His fingers traced the outline of the object sitting heavily in his pocket. He fought the urge to run his hands through his already messy locks, knowing that he would probably just end up yanking out all of his hair. Instead, he settled for flicking his tail back and forth nervously while rubbing an ear between his thumb and pointer finger.

After what finally felt like a century, Gavin sauntered into the room, his ears twitching happily and tail swishing proudly behind him. Both men had taken to using their half forms while in the sanctuary after learning that it made the cats more comfortable than their fully-human ones.

“Hello, love!” Gavin squealed, kissing Ryan’s cheek when he finally reached him. “Are you ready to film Reggie’s video?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something first, Gav,” the older man said, hands now shoved deeply into his pockets and tail stiffly trembling.

Gavin eyed him nervously but nodded, taking a seat on the couch next to them and patting the cushion for Ryan to follow. Ryan shook his head, which worried Gavin even more but he didn’t say anything, quietly urging his boyfriend to get on with it.

Had the gent not been focusing on not losing his lunch from nerves, he’d have noticed the grave disappointment that had covered the lad’s features. It was obviously that the Brit had already come to his own conclusion about where this conversation was going and had begun bracing himself for the seemingly inevitable heartbreak that would come with losing his partner of two years.

So when he suddenly got down on one knee, Gavin nearly pissed himself. Ryan pulled the velvet box out of his pocket, quickly opening it up to reveal a silver ring with several small diamonds in a line. He had been saving up for almost a year now, taking extra hours and projects when he could and putting aside a small portion of each pay check. When he saw the absolute ecstasy on his boyfriend’s face, he decided that every ounce of extra work had been worth it.

“Gavin David Free, you have been nothing but wonderful to me. You helped me through one of the hardest transitions I’ve ever faced, and you’ve taught me more about myself and about life in general than I ever could’ve imagined. Together, we’ve built a beautiful life with three adorable kittens, and I can’t imagine where I would be without that. I’ve gotten a taste of how perfect our lives can be together and I’m addicted. Gav, would you do me the honours and make me the happiest cat in the world?”

Gavin was frozen in his seat, breath caught in his chest. He had not been expecting this at all, and suddenly he wasn’t sure how to react. But honestly, it just took one glance up at the unadulterated love in the man’s eyes to make his decision.

“Of bloody course, Rye-Bread! I never thought you’d ask!” He threw himself at Ryan and covered every square centimetre in kisses, tail wrapping around his arm and hands gently cupping his face.

Ryan gently pulled away and took one of Gavin’s hands in his own. He slid the sliver band onto his finger, kissed the back of his hand several times, and then met his boyfriend’s – **no, fiancé’s** – gaze, smile threatening to split his face in half.

“I love you so much, Gavin.”

“I love you, too, Rye.”

* * *

“For the last time, Geoff, I don’t need your help!” Gavin squawked, ducking away from the comb his pseudo-father wielded. “You’re just gonna bloody mess it up even more!”

“You look like shit, Gavvers. I’m just trying to help you not embarrass yourself in front of Ryan.”

Gavin growled but let his hands fall to his sides. Geoff was true to his word and quickly helped tame the wild bedhead the lad had acquired. When the shifter looked back in the mirror, he smiled gently and thanked the man.

With his hair done, he had nothing left to do but wait. He looked out the window at the red barn the ceremony would be held in. Neither man had been happy that they had to drive to Oklahoma to get married, but due to Texas’ and Louisiana’s stingy marriage laws, they knew it was the closest option.

Resting his head on hand, he sighed, wondering what Ryan was doing right now.

* * *

“I swear to God, Lindsay, if you try that one more time, I will go feral on your ass. Why isn’t your husband here to restrain you?” Ryan snarled, stepping back toward the corner of the room.

“Because he’s busy distracting your fiancé. They’re probably having one last romp before they’re both _married men_ ,” she all but purred.

Ryan blushed and then pulled nervously at his bowtie. He had almost distracted himself from the anxiety brewing in his stomach. Lindsay seemed to sense the change in the man, quickly grabbing one of his hands and leading him to the bench in front of the vanity. 

“Look, Rye. I know he’s happy to be here, and I know this is what you both want. There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she murmured, soft voice soothing the man’s fraying nerves. “I promise that I’ll be there for you. Best man and all that, right?” She winked at him and he nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Alright, then. Let’s get this fucking flower attached and take our places, okay?”

Ryan allowed himself to laugh while the woman was finally able to pin his boutonnière on after nearly thirty minutes of running around the room. Once she had safely secured it, she kissed his cheek and intertwined their fingers before affectionately leading him out of his dressing room.

* * *

Ryan would be lying if he said that his eyes had stayed dry the entire ceremony.

He had laughed when Gavin had suggested that they ironically wear leopard print bowties, but Gavin had painstakingly matched the pattern to that of the older man’s fur, and Ryan had to admit that he absolutely loved it. He adored the way his fiancé looked wearing such an important symbol, the way the gold brought out his tanned skin, the way those hazel eyes flashed brighter than ever when they caught Ryan’s matching apparel.

Gavin’s real father joined Geoff as they walked the man down the aisle, one on each side. The lad kissed both men on the cheek before joining the love of his life up front in front of Jack (who had excitedly gotten ordained online to officiate the ceremony as soon as he had heard about the proposal). Dan, Michael, and Ray stood proudly at the Brit’s side, flashing him blinding smiles, and Lindsay blew him a kiss from her spot next to Ryan.

Jack spoke briefly, telling the story of the first time the two men in front of him had met. Everyone present had heard the story many times but it never failed to make them chuckle. Soon came time for the vows. The two shifters hadn’t shared their vows with each other, desperate to keep them a surprise until their big day. Ryan swallowed hard and took a deep breath before continuing the ceremony.

“I, James Ryan Haywood, take you, Gavin David Free, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to always be faithful and to love you even when I can’t stand you or your made-up words and birdlike shrieks. There has not been a day that we have not laughed together, and I do not ever want there to be. I promise to love you in all of your forms and protect you to the best of my ability. I promise to be there for you through everything, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do us part.”

Gavin smiled, eyes shining with a mix of adoration and tears.

“I, Gavin David Free, take you, James Ryan Haywood, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to never leave, to remain by your side always, and to not to keep score, even if I am totally winning. Though I used to be terrified of you, I’ve quickly realised that you’re the biggest softie I’ve ever met, and I don’t want to imagine my life without you. I promise to be your sidekick when you’re off your murder break, and I’ll always be there to patch up your wounds. I’m yours to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do us part.”

Ryan let out a pleased sigh when he heard that Gavin had opted for the traditional format as well, though he knew it was largely because he had once expressed his preference for them while they were watching some terrible rom-com together.

Both men cut Jack off with their **_I do_** s, not letting him even get halfway through the question. Jack (and everyone else present) laughed at their eagerness and felt his heart swell with happiness for the couple standing hand in hand in front of him. His closing remarks flew by, Ryan and Gavin too lost in each other to really be paying attention.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband,” his gentle voice called out. “You may now kiss the groom.”

The two shifters kissed each other greedily, lips fitting together perfectly from years of practice. The attendees of the ceremony cheered loudly and the two men pulled back, bumping their noses together affectionately. Just then, three cats came running down the aisle from where Kdin and Kerry were sitting. When asked later, they would claim that the cats had been squirming too much to properly hold on to, but the newly married couple knew that the boys had just wanted to see what would happen if they let the three felines loose. Either way, Ryan effortlessly lifted Olive up to sit on his shoulders while Gavin did the same with Ibb before holding Obb lovingly in his arms. Seeing each other draped in various cats, they both laughed and kissed each other again, before turning down the aisle to walk out of the small Oklahoman barn.

* * *

Their honeymoon had flown by, two beautiful weeks spent traipsing across the European countryside, enjoying lots of quality wine, delicious food, and nearly-constant sex. They had ignored their phones for the first part of the trip before finally breaking down and wanting to see how their beloved cats were doing.

The rest of the Achievement Hunters had offered to help take care of the sanctuary and the Joneses had agreed to watch Olive, Ibb, and Obb. The newly-weds scrolled through their emails, laughing and showing each other the ridiculous updates they had both received. It looked like Geoff had taken a liking to a white cat with a black marking underneath its nose that looked eerily similar to his own facial hair and was now begging Griffon to let them adopt the little fella. He had already named him Giplicker after his pig in an early Minecraft Let’s Play and was oddly protective of him. Ryan scrolled down to find a picture of the man and the cat lounging lazily on the couch, faces displaying the same bored expression while they watched the others rush around the sanctuary. He laughed and quickly turned the screen to show Gavin, who cooed excitedly at the idea of his pseudo-father adopting a cat through their program.

Gavin was the next to fall into a fit of giggles while he showed Ryan the series of emails he had received from Michael. The first one read “Finally home with the three devils” and contained a picture of the three cats sitting on the floor staring up at the camera. But the cats were clearly not the focus of the picture: Michael’s scratched-up arms were. Ryan chuckled and suggested that maybe the cats knew about how their daddy was so rudely outed by the auburn-haired man and were simply seeking revenge. Gavin squeaked in amusement before continuing to scroll down through Michael’s messages. A lot of them were simply pictures of the two humans playing with the cats or the cats lounging around the AH office and getting in the way of recordings. The last picture, however, sent Gavin over the edge. The picture was a little dark but it was easy to see that Lindsay was curled up with the three cats and there was little room left on the couple’s mattress. The caption simply read “These little dickie bitches come into my god damn home, steal my fucking wife, and kick me out of my own god damn bed. Come home immediately before I do something Ryan will make me regret.”

Between gasps for air, the Brit quickly typed out a message to his boi, telling him how their trip was going so far and promising to get back soon to pick up his ‘dickie bitches’ soon. And to apologise that his wife had apparently chosen the Haywood-Free children over her own husband (but to be honest, he didn’t blame her: those cats were bloody adorable).

The rest of the trip had flown by, the men surprised to realise that it was their last night abroad. They had ended their trip in Paris, sitting at a small restaurant along the Seine. They watched as Parisians filtered by, everything soaking in a milky glow under the moonlight. Both men were beyond excited to return home to their small family and their numerous friends, but they were loath to leave the countryside that had brought them so much peace in the last two weeks. Eventually, though, they agreed that they should head back to their hotel, desperate for a bit of sleep before spending twelve hours on a plane. However, after Ryan had stopped them in front of the Eiffel Tower to kiss his husband fiercely, both men knew that they wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight anyway.

* * *

The flight had been long and quite strenuous on the cats. For the first time in a while, they could no longer shift freely. They could feel the energy inside of them bouncing around, trying to condense into the familiar feline shape, and both men were exhausted by the time they had de-planed.

Geoff was leaning against his car, waiting outside the airport, Giplicker lounging lazily around his neck. The two looked peaceful together, and Gavin squealed when he saw the pair. He bounded over to them and wrapped Geoff tightly in his arms before kissing the cat on the head in greeting. Ryan walked over to shake his boss’s hand, only to be pulled into a bear hug as well.

Their chatter was light on the way home, the moustached man cognisant of how tired the couple must be. He did, however, have something that he really needed to address with them as they would probably be the only ones to really know anything about the situation.

The car had fallen into a comfortable silence and Geoff was reluctant to break it. However, this needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later, and he had no idea how long the men would take off to recover from jet-lag. Carefully, he cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two shifters in his car.

“So, we found another kitten yesterday,” he began easily. Gavin squeaked in excitement at the thought of playing with a new kitten, but Ryan raised an eyebrow, aware that Geoff was going somewhere with this conversation. “Just a little tyke. Dr Palvino said that he’s probably a Turkish Angora, judging by his mismatched eyes and white fur. Just opened his eyes a couple days ago. We’ve been bottle feeding him, but he hasn’t been reacting to us very well. That little dude’s tough as dicks.”

Gavin nodded at the new information, antsy to get his hands on the new kitten waiting in their sanctuary. Ryan’s eyebrow had arched further up his forehead as he tried to predict where Geoff was going with this.

“I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall, Geoff. Most people would’ve waited to tell us something as common-place as finding a kitten,” the younger gent finally said, unable to piece together his boss’s intent.

“I think that you two would be excellent fathers for him.”

Ryan tilted his head at the words, unsure of how to respond. “Our house is already home to five felines, Geoff. I’m not sure how many more until we start our transition into ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ territory.”

“Well, I don’t think you would have to worry about having four pets, per say.”

Ryan kept asking what he meant but Geoff remained silent the rest of the way to the office. Gavin noticed they weren’t going home right away and his shoulders fell a bit, but he perked right back up when they pulled into the parking lot outside the sanctuary.

“You mean we get to meet the little guy now?” he squealed, bouncing in his seat.

“Yeah. I didn’t think this could really wait. I know you two just got back from your romantic getaway, but this is a little important.”

The three men walked into the sanctuary, waving at everyone who welcomed the couple back to the States. It was clear that their co-workers were surprised to see them so soon, but once they noticed what direction they were headed in, their astonishment vanished.

Lindsay was holding something swaddled up tightly, white ears peaking over the top of the blanket. She was trying her best to coax the bottle into his mouth. “Come on, dude,” she grunted in a frustrated tone. “They’ll be here soon and then it’ll be okay. You just gotta stay put until then and drink your damn milk.”

“I don’t think cursing at him is going to help much, Linds.” The woman jumped at the sound of her boss’s fond admonishment but relaxed when she saw the two men standing behind him.

“Oh thank God,” she sighed, setting down the bottle and rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. “He’s your problem now.” She shoved the bundle into Ryan’s arms before all but sprinting out of the room. Ryan allowed his eyes to follow her before turning his attention to his husband to see his reaction to the whole ordeal. However, when his gaze fell on Gavin, the Brit was staring with wide eyes at the shape lying in Ryan’s arms.

“Gavin, what is it?” he asked, voice rising in concern.

“Rye, he’s one of us.”

* * *

There was never a question that the two men would adopt the baby shifter. As soon as Geoff had filled the couple in about finding the boy half shifted in a dumpster outside their favourite bar, the couple became fiercely protective of the child. Apparently the employees of Rooster Teeth had anticipated this, quickly bringing the boy to the authorities to report him found. Burnie and Geoff had waited while the police searched all the missing child reports, looking for one that matched the baby’s description. Nothing, of course, had matched, and the fact that the baby had literally been thrown away was a huge factor in persuading them to allow the child to be adopted. All they had to do was wait for the couple to return to the States and take one look at the poor kitten. The entirety of Rooster Teeth had taken a strong liking to the shifter but often grew weary when they realised how tiring it was to take care of a moody baby, especially one that could quickly produce claws. Add to the equation the fact that none of them had ever directly cared for a shifter, especially a young one that couldn’t control its forms yet, and you were left with an entire crew of exhausted, scratched up people.

But they had all been right: all it took was one glance at the child before the Haywood-Frees had climbed back into Geoff’s car, baby in tow. Along the way, Ryan and Gavin had a hushed conversation, deciding the baby’s name almost immediately. It was with a soft, loving voice that Benjamin Daniel Haywood-Free first heard his name.

The adoption process had gone fairly smoothly, Ryan claiming the child since their partnership wasn’t recognised in Austin (and probably wouldn’t be for a while, if he were being honest). As soon as it was, though, the men promised to come back and legally have Gavin recognised as an equal custodian to the boy.

The Haywood-Frees asked Geoff to make a couple stops on the way home, but he assured them that most of the essentials had already been taken care of by their co-workers. True to his word, the couple stumbled into their house, shocked to see piles of gifts in their living room. Everything from a crib to diapers to plenty of formula for both kittens and human babies were neatly lined up, and a tacky “It’s a boy!” banner hung from the archway between the living room and the kitchen. Ryan laughed and walked over to look at all the presents while Gavin held their son closer and kissed him between his twitching ears. Geoff excused himself after the men thanked him for everything and then stepped outside to call Michael to tell him that it was safe to bring the cats back home.

* * *

Michael had shown up about fifteen minutes later and all but threw the meowing felines at their owners. His scowl softened when he saw the two men crooning softly at their new son and moved closer to get a good look at the happy family.

Olive was the first to run over to Ben, licking his ear playfully before her fathers decided she was being too rough with her new brother. Ibb and Obb jumped up on the coffee table, choosing to observe the new addition from a distance. Michael pulled out his phone and snapped a picture before walking the rest of the way to join the proud dads.

“How are you lovebirds doing?” he asked gently, voice low so as to not wake the sleeping child.

“Bloody exhausted,” Gavin sighed, “but it’s totally worth it.” A weary smile lined his lips, causing his eyes to scrunch and sparkle. Michael noted that he looked quite a bit older than he had a few months ago, but quickly decided that it looked good on him. He stayed for a couple more minutes, listening to the newly-weds talk about their honeymoon and the adoption before slipping out the door and allowing the new family to rest.

Before he shut the door, though, he heard Ryan’s deep voice, a gentle purr to his mate.

“Damn, Gav. If I had known we were pregnant, I wouldn’t’ve fucked you so hard last night.”

* * *

Ben grew faster than anyone could’ve ever imagined. His dads took care of him better than he could’ve ever asked for, and Michael found himself often apologising to Gavin for ever saying that the Brit would be a horrible father.

Ben loved his ‘siblings’. Olive was the most fun to play with, always in a rambunctious mood, wanting to wrestle with their parents. Ibb and Obb were nice to stretch out in the sun with, but since they were twins, he found it difficult to relate to them as well. They preferred to keep to themselves which was just as well since Ryan and Gavin were always willing to keep him company when his brothers got too ornery.

The years passed in a blur. The other couples in Achievement Hunter had kids of their own: Geoff and Griffon had trouble keeping up with their spirited daughter and the moustached cat Geoff had convinced his wife to adopt all those years ago. The Joneses had had a daughter of their own, a baby girl that Michael would’ve done absolutely anything for. He had taught her how to play video games at a young age and her rage-filled sessions rivalled even her father’s. Tina and Ray had eventually gotten married. A couple years later, they had twins: a girl and a boy. Ray had complained heartily about it, but everyone knew that he was absolutely thrilled. Even Jack and Caiti’s family had grown: they had adopted three of the cats in the sanctuary and two dogs from a neighbourhood shelter. They were the only couple without kids, but they didn’t seem to mind at all.

Several more years passed and the Haywood-Frees found themselves sitting in a giant auditorium, clapping loudly as Ben’s name was read over the sound system. A couple of handshakes, several hundred more names, and one piece of paper later, their son had officially completed his high school education. His dads couldn’t have been more proud if they tried. (Despite his near-constant sniffling through the entirety of the ceremony, Ryan still maintained that he had not cried and that Gavin was just imagining things.)

A few months later, they were packing up their son’s belongings and driving him to university. He had gotten himself into a highly reputable pre-veterinary program at the University of Texas in Austin. All three of the men had been relieved, Ben pleased that he had gotten into a good program while his fathers were happy that he wouldn’t be too far from home.

Four years later saw another graduation and another university as Ben began vet school at Texas A&M University. His fathers were a little less than thrilled with the new distance between them, but they positively beamed with pride at their son’s achievements.

The following Thanksgiving, Ben brought his new girlfriend Sasha home. Sasha was 100% certified human, Ben had said, but she knew about his family’s secret and had accepted him nonetheless.

Three years after, Ben had graduated at the top of his class, moved back to Austin with his long-time girlfriend, and set up their own joint practice near his parents’ sanctuary. They got married three months later, chapel filled with friends, family, and co-workers. His fathers could not have been more proud of their son. (Ryan would admit to crying this time but Gavin wouldn’t dare tease him about it if he wanted to keep his own tears a secret.)

Olive, Ibb, and Obb lived long lives, often defying death in mysterious ways. But unfortunately, natural-born cats don’t live nearly as long as humans, much less shifters, and all three had peacefully passed away. Ibb and Obb had gone together, curled up in the safety of each other. Olive had fallen asleep between her dads one night and not woken up the following morning. All three deaths sat heavily on the men, but they knew what they had signed up for all those years ago. And they knew that every minute had been worth it.

Now the men sat in their house, recounting the many years they had spent together. They had just celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary the night before by adopting yet another cat from the sanctuary. Tiger was young, no more than a year old, and proudly lived up to her name with her fierce attitude and radiantly striped fur. The men spent most of the night in their feline forms to acclimate the kitten to their home, only shifting part of the way back to lazily make love once Tiger had fallen asleep.

In the stillness of the night, Ryan and Gavin exchanged slow kisses and passion-laden words. Gavin was wrapped in his husband’s arms, the feelings of home, love, and safety consuming him completely. Ryan sighed contently, praying that the next thirty years of his life would be just as perfect.

And they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THEN THEY LIVED HAPURRLY EFUR CATFTER. <3
> 
> thanks for sticking around! i enjoyed writing this because cat!freewood is p much my fav.  
> feel free to drop me a message at luchemuffin.tumblr.com or to leave a comment if you'd like!
> 
> i'm already planning out my next multichapter fic which will be a supernatural-based ot6. keep your eyes peeled for that if you're into that. otherwise, i have several freewood oneshots in the works!
> 
> i'm always open to prompts if you've got an idea that you'd like to see come to fruition!


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